Sinister
by RedLion2
Summary: Honey Wheeler, an artist, arrives in Sleepyside to visit her best friends Jim and Trixie Belden for a short vacation. Upon arrival, and after an encounter with something wicked in the woods near Jim and Trixie's home, Honey becomes involved with Trixie's oldest brother, Dr. Brian Belden, and strives to figure out the sinister forces lurking in the woods. Normal pairings.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Trixie Belden or its corresponding characters. They are borrowed with the intent of creating a new story.

This is a Honey and Brian-centered story, and set in an alternate universe. Jim, Trixie, and the Bobwhites will be in it, but will not be the main characters. It also has a supernatural twist, so if that isn't for you, please do move along instead of leaving me a nasty review. Those will not be tolerated, and they are juvenile. Thank you to those who decide to give it a whirl.

SINISTER

CHAPTER ONE:

Madeleine Grace Wheeler drove carefully down the wet two-lane highway, eyes flickering to her phone occasionally. She'd never been in this part of New York before, and wanted to make sure she didn't get lost. She was headed toward Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson, a town her best friend, Jim Frayne, had assured her she'd love. A streak of lightning broke across the sky and she bit her lip, wishing she was already in the cute little town she'd been shown pictures of. Jim and his wife of two years, Trixie Belden-Frayne, lived just outside the downtown area of Sleepyside, and were waiting for her.

Her phone buzzed with an incoming call, and she tapped it, turning it on speaker. "Hello?"

"Honey? Where are you at?" Jim's concerned voice came through loud and strong.

"Um, my navigation app says I have another twenty minutes," she told him.

"Okay. Drive slow, all right? Be careful."

She smiled. He was more of a big brother to her than anything; they'd grown up together in the shade of New York City, their fathers both part of the massively wealthy collection of industry leaders in the Big Apple. "I will, don't worry. See you soon." She ended the call and took a sip of her iced mocha. Rain began pattering against the windshield again, and she frowned. The weather app had said it wasn't supposed to rain until later that night, but clearly it didn't know what it was talking about.

Driving around a curve in the road, she tried to relax. After all, that was why she was moving, possibly, to Sleepyside: to relax. The past year had been particularly stressful for her, and Jim wanted her closer to him and Trixie so they could look after her. Not, of course, that she needed them to. No, she was perfectly capable of dealing with the stress life had been throwing at her. She glanced at her phone as it pinged with an incoming text, her eyes only on the phone for what seemed like half a second.

But it only took that quick glance away for the doe to run out in front of her. Honey gasped and slammed on the brakes while spinning the wheel, hoping to avoid crashing into the beautiful animal. Her 4-Runner slid on the wet pavement, but she missed the deer. Her heart hammering in her chest, she carefully turned the vehicle back the way she'd been heading and took a deep breath. A flash of lights behind her drew her immediate attention, and she dutifully pulled over to the side of the road as the police car maneuvered in behind her. She grabbed her insurance card, registration and license, and had them ready for the officer as he approached her window.

"Hello, officer," she breathed out, still trying to calm herself after the near-miss.

He leaned down, the rain streaming off his hat, and she saw he had big dark eyes. "Are you all right, Miss?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you," she said. She tried to hand him her information, but he shook his head.

"Don't need that. Just wanted to make sure you were all right. I saw the deer run across in front of you," he said. "Are you headed to Sleepyside?" His voice was low and friendly enough, and she nodded after a second of hesitation.

"To see some friends," she said. She bit her lip again, wishing she didn't have that nervous habit. He flashed a grin at her.

"Small town. I probably know your friends," he said, and for a moment, she thought he was going to wait until she'd told him. But he added, "Be careful, now. The roads are slick. Have a good night."

She watched him in the rear view as he strode back to his car and got in, and she pulled carefully back onto the road. After a few moments, the officer pulled onto the road, and she found herself breathing a little easier. It felt safer with the policeman behind her. The rest of the drive went fairly quickly, and as she turned onto Jim's road, the officer drove past.

Jim was waiting on the porch for her, and met her at the door. "Hi," he said, pulling her into a tight hug. "Was just about to head out after you."

"Sorry about that. A deer ran out in front of me - I'm okay, and a police officer pulled me over to make sure I was all right," she said.

He grinned. "Probably know who it was. Tall, dark hair?"

"Dark eyes," she said. "Not sure about the others."

"Probably Dan Mangan, Trixie's buddy on the police force," he said. "Detective, but since the police department is small he doubles as a regular officer when needed." He finally stepped back. "Come on, let's get you in the house. Trix is dying to see you."

"I can't wait to see her, either," Honey said, smiling. Jim grabbed her two suitcases from the back of the 4-Runner and followed her up onto the wide wrap-around porch of the pretty blue farm house.

"Honey!" The door was thrown open and Honey was attacked by an exuberant blonde woman with curly hair down to her chin. "How are you? We were sure you must be lost! Come in!"

Honey laughed as Trixie let go of her and ushered her into the mud room of the old house. She kicked off her ballet flats and gave Trix a proper hug, while Jim went on into the house with the suitcases. Trixie waited until Honey had her shoes off and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the large kitchen. An island sat in the middle, and Honey pulled out a bar stool and sat on it while Trixie buzzed around the kitchen looking for something.

"Aha!" Trix turned and plopped down a binder in front of Honey, who eyed with carefully. "Go on, open it!"

"What is it?" Honey asked, gently opening the binder. She realized it was a real estate binder, and flipped through the different listings. "Trix, I don't know if—"

"I know, I know. But I have a friend who's an agent, and she let me borrow this. There are so many good houses for sale!" Her voice was rich with excitement, and Honey couldn't help but grin back at her, while shaking her head.

"You know I'm not really sure I want to move here," she admonished, closing the binder.

"Oh, I know," Trixie assured her. "But really, it's a perfect place for you. You could paint to your heart's content." Her blue eyes sparkled like polished sapphires. "And Jim and I would love having you close."

And Honey knew they would. She too, would love being closer to them, but still wasn't sure this was the right place for her. Already she felt herself relaxing, which was something she found she could rarely do in New York anymore, but moving here would put her quite a distance from the art galleries where she sold her paintings. Her thoughts turned to her most recent work, a picture of a man walking down a country road with a pair of hunting dogs romping around him. Though she'd lived in the city almost her entire life, she had always yearned to live in the country, to be able to stargaze at night and jog on quiet roads where the traffic didn't threaten to run her over. Fans of her work, and there were thousands upon thousands of them, assumed she _did_ live out in the countryside somewhere.

"Earth to Honey," Jim said, tapping her shoulder.

"Oh, sorry," she said, smiling. "Just daydreaming a little, I guess."

"I put your things upstairs, in the sunflower room," he said.

"My favorite," Honey told him, a smile lighting up her pretty hazel eyes. Though Trixie was by no means an interior designer, each room in the beautiful old house had a theme, and the sunflower room was peaceful and tasteful. Honey adored it.

"Are you hungry?" Trixie asked.

"No. I ate something on the way." Honey wouldn't tell them it had been a sandwich from a gas station outside the city; they'd fuss over her and make something, and she just wanted to sit here and chat and relax.

"Jim, can you grab us a couple strawberry sodas?" Trixie asked, and Jim nodded and hurried out of the room. "So." Trixie leaned closer to Honey, studying her, her blue eyes now intense and serious. "Have you heard from the superfan again?"

Honey sighed, knowing that Trixie was going to, at some point, bring it up. "No, not lately. Can we please not talk about him?"

"No." Trixie shook her head. "He could be dangerous, Honey. I really think you should tell Jim."

"He's not dangerous. He's just a little enamored with my work."

"A little?" Trixie gave her a skeptical look. "He was stalking you at that gallery opening a few weeks ago."

"Just following," Honey easily corrected. She rubbed at her forehead, suddenly tired. "It's fine, Trix. And Jim worries about things enough as it is. He doesn't need to know about this. If it gets worse, I'll talk to him. Okay?"

Trixie frowned. "All right, fine. At least you're here for a couple of weeks, so I can keep my eye on you."

Honey laughed. "One week, Trix. Remember?"

Trixie tossed her curls. "Two. That's the deal." She reached out and tapped the binder. "We need to look through this."

Honey could only shake her head and smile, knowing further resistance was futile. Trixie was nothing if not stubborn, and Honey was too tired to keep arguing. "So, any new cases lately?"

"No, just one that I'm wrapping up," Trixie told her. The pretty blonde was a private investigator, though Honey knew there only certain types of cases she took. Honey also knew better than to ask any specifics about the cases, as Trixie couldn't by law say anything about them.

Jim walked back in with three cans of soda and passed two of them to the women. "Honey got to meet Dan," he told his wife, reaching over to plant a kiss on the top of her blonde curls.

Trixie's eyes widened. "Really? You didn't say anything about that."

"Well, I'm not sure if the policeman was Dan," Honey said, giving Jim a little look of consternation. "A deer ran out in front of me, which I avoided, and an officer stopped me to make sure I was all right." She spoke quietly, a tiny tremble racing through her body as she thought about almost hitting the delicate creature.

"It probably was. I know he was on-duty tonight," Trixie said. "He's a good guy."

Honey waited for the usual pep talk about how Trixie should set Honey up with this "good guy," but she said nothing, and Honey breathed out a breath of relief. The last serious boyfriend she'd had had been four years ago, back when she was still trying to break into the art scene, and was full of foolish notions about love. Oh, she was a dreamer, yes, but the cold reality was that she was now twenty-eight years old, and there were very few men available who she considered worth dating. The art world was ripe with nice-looking men, but they all had egos that went with their talent, or they simply weren't interested in her.

A yawn slipped out, and Jim laughed. "Time to call it a night," he said.

"I think so," Honey said, and giggled at Trixie's wounded look. "Don't worry, all I need is a good night's sleep, and I'll be ready to stay up late tomorrow. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Trixie said, a knowing glint in her eye.

Honey laughed, hugged them both, and made her way up the stairs to the sunflower room. Painted a lively yellow but softened with a pretty light brown and gold quilt, the room was balm to her fractured soul. She shut the door and made sure the shade was down, and then changed into a pair of shorts and a T shirt emblazoned with the New York Mets logo. Brushing her teeth, she looked for several long moments at her reflection.

 _I look so tired and worn-out._ It was to her friends' credit that they hadn't remarked on that, and she was grateful. Things lately hadn't been easy on her; her mother had passed away four months before, and though they'd never been close, it had been a blow. And her father, the overbearing and powerful Matthew Wheeler, of Wheeler-Hart Enterprises, was still pressuring her to drop the artist "act" and fall in-line with his ideals. So far she had held fast under the tirades, but she was growing tired of the constant nagging and arguing. She turned from the mirror and walked back into the room and, pulling back the covers, fell into the four-poster bed. Snuggling deep into the blankets, she was soon asleep.

The following morning she was awakened at nine by a light tapping on her door. With a slight groan she threw back the blankets and padded over to the door, swinging it open. Trixie practically tackled her.

"Hi!" she said, letting go and stepping in past Honey. "Did you sleep well?"

"Amazingly so," Honey said, nodding. She yawned again and headed to the bathroom, well-aware that Trix would still be there when she came out. Trixie was indeed still there, lying on the bed with her arms stretched over her head. She popped up when Honey stepped out.

"Ready to hit the town?" Trix asked. "I took the next two days off, so I can show you around."

"Trix, you didn't have to do that. I really just want to stay here and sit on your beautiful porch and veg out," Honey said, shaking her head. She began gathering clothes for the day so she could take a shower.

Trixie sighed. "You simply _have_ to come check out the town. It's perfect for a young artist. Really."

"Is that so?" Honey couldn't help but giggle at her friend. From the time she had first met the girl Jim was clearly in love with and worshipped, she'd known they'd be great friends. Trixie was a dynamo, radiating happiness and a zeal for life. She was never dull, and Honey always felt refreshed, if a little tired, after spending time with her. "You're not planning to try and set me up with this doctor brother of yours, are you?"

"What?" Trixie had the good graces to look stunned. "No, of course not. I know you're not looking for a man right now. Although, we _are_ going to go downtown, and his practice _is_ on Main Street…" She threw a cheeky grin at Honey. "You never know what could happen."

Honey just shook her head and walked back into the bathroom. It was a bright sunny yellow, with a sunflower shower curtain, and it was just about impossible to be anything but happy in its presence. She showered quickly, not wanting to give Trixie too much time to conjure up any mad-cap plans, and got dried and dressed. She blew out her golden brown tresses and was finally ready to step out of the bathroom, when the door opened and Trixie poked her head in.

"Wow!" she breathed. "You've gotta meet Brian today."

"No," Honey said, pushing her way past Trixie. "No older brothers. No _anyone_ , Trix. I have enough going on in my life without adding in romance."

"Fine," Trixie huffed. "Come on. I told Di we'd meet her for breakfast at ten."

"Mart's wife?" Honey asked. She grabbed a light yellow cardigan and followed Trixie out of the room and down the stairs. "The one who owns the local art gallery?"

"One and the same," Trixie said over her shoulder. Her phone buzzed and she took it out of her pocket, looked at it, and said, "I have to take this." Without waiting for Honey to say anything, she disappeared out onto the porch.

Honey wandered around the kitchen, pausing to look out the window over the sink and into the front yard. Was she doing the right thing, coming here to visit? Her latest work was done, but hadn't yet been placed in a gallery, and she wondered if Trixie was trying to start something between her sister-in-law and her friend. It would be nice to have a picture in the gallery here, but Honey lived in the city. Her life was already there. Or was it? Could she really be happy here? _It would drive Dad crazy to have me living here, so far from the city._ Maybe that was reason enough to move here. She sighed and turned as Trixie reentered the kitchen.

"Everything okay?" Honey asked.

Trixie glanced at her, and her eyes glinted with tension. "No. I've got to go to my office and meet someone. I'm sorry – I was hoping to spend all day with you today."

"No problem," Honey told her. "Like I said, I was hoping to just hang out on the porch today anyway." And that was the truth. She hadn't come to Sleepyside to fall in love with it. She had a perfectly good life back in New York City.

"Okay. Maybe we can meet for lunch." Trixie gave her a hug and left. Honey watched her go and sauntered out to the porch, where she sat in the swing and rocked back and forth gently. The warm late June breeze ruffled her fine hair, and she closed her eyes and let her mind drift.

It was funny to her that Trixie still wanted to set her up with Brian, her oldest brother. Honey had met him, along with most of their other friends, at their wedding. He was handsome, tall, and everything that fit inside a romance novel. She had danced with him at Trixie's request, but she hadn't felt any sparks, and neither had he, apparently, as they hadn't spoken after that. It was just as well. She was still trying to get her career fully-launched, and he was a young doctor working to take over the practice here in town. Neither of them had time for romance.

A car pulled into the driveway and she sat up, shading her eyes against the glare of the sun. No one got out of the car right away, and Honey got to her feet and walked to the railing of the porch. The car door opened and a dark-haired man got out. Honey drew in a quiet breath. It was Brian, Trixie's oldest brother. "Hi," she called out.

"Hello." He seemed a bit startled to see her there, and a frown passed over his face. "Is Trixie here? Or Jim?"

"No, neither," Honey said. She stayed on the porch; something about having the high ground soothed her. After all, he might be Trixie's brother, but she didn't know him.

His frown deepened, and then he seemed to remember her, and when he met her gaze again, the frown had bled from his face and a quiet smile replaced it. "I don't know if you remember me from the wedding or not," he said. "Brian Belden, Trixie's oldest brother."

"I remember," she said, and wished she hadn't. It wasn't like he'd had that big of an impression on her. "Madeleine Wheeler." Her nickname was reserved for those who had earned the right to call her that.

"Right, Madeleine." He gave her another smile. "Anyway, if you happen to see either of them today, have them call me. Please." He waited, as if making sure she was capable of taking down his message.

Honey gave a polite nod. "I will have them call you."

"Thanks." He turned to get back into his car, a sleek black Chevy sedan, and added, "It was nice to see you again."

"You as well." Honey grimaced a bit at her tone – she didn't mean to sound unfriendly, but she didn't know him, at all, and didn't really want to encourage any further conversation. She hadn't come here to talk to handsome men.

He nodded, got in the car, and left. Honey breathed out a sigh and sat back down on the porch swing. She sat for all of two minutes before feeling antsy, and got to her feet again. Trixie and Jim lived in a quiet spot, and Honey knew their road was a dead-end, so there was little to any traffic. It was a dirt road to boot, and it was the perfect place to take a walk. She went back into the house and went back upstairs to the sunflower room, where she grabbed her sneakers and slid them on. Going back down to the kitchen, she headed outside and down to the road.

As she walked, she could feel the tension of the last few months start to uncoil a little. It would take a while for it all to disappear, and she wasn't going to be here long enough for that to happen, but even this little foray into the country life was heaven-sent. _And it was nice to see Brian again,_ she thought, and immediately frowned at her wayward thought. It might've been nice, but she really didn't have any right to be thinking about him. If she was thinking about moving here, that would be a different story.

She noticed a path leading off into the woods to her left, and curious, she left the road and followed it for a little ways. It looked like it led deeper into the forest, which she knew from stories from both Trixie and Jim was dark and branched out into a very large swamp. Not sure she really wanted to deviate from the road, but feeling a rebellious sense of adventure, she made sure she had her phone, took a deep breath and kept on the path, going deeper into the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Trixie Belden or its associated characters.

Round Two :-)

SINISTER

CHAPTER TWO:

The path grew increasingly difficult to both see and navigate, and Honey wondered if she should've just stuck to the road. But there was something very invigorating about being out here in the dark woods, the rays of sunlight only just-dappling the path in front of her. _If only Dad could see me now,_ she thought, and giggled. He would not be amused, she was sure, and that in and of itself was enough to make this worth it. She thought about taking a selfie and sending it to him, knowing he was in Japan right then. He would probably call her, if he wasn't in a meeting, and demand to know why she was traipsing through the forest, _by herself_ no less, instead of doing something constructive.

An animal darted across the path just ahead of her, causing her to stop for a few seconds before continuing on. The smell of the earth rose all around her, filling her nose with the heavy scent of dark dirt and ferns, and she inhaled deeply of it, knowing she might never get another chance. Jim certainly wouldn't like her out here all by herself, but she knew Trixie wouldn't hesitate to come along if she wanted to hike this path again. She smiled, thinking of Trixie. How anyone could be so effervescent, so fun, so exciting, all the time, was a complete mystery to her. Trixie was a bright burning flame, and Honey could not stay away, no more than Jim had been able to once he'd met her.

 _It would be nice to live here, to be close to them._ She knew they would love having her close – Trixie so she'd have a partner in crime, as Jim would say, and Jim so he could keep an eye on her. Not that she needed it; she'd always been the good girl, the one who didn't party in high school or college, the one the boys made bets on about her going out with one of them. Was she still that person? Would she always be Matthew Wheeler's daughter, the "artist?" Her pretty eyes narrowed in thought. _When will Dad see that I can make it as an artist? That I am making it?_

A vague sense of unease stole over her, her breath catching in her throat. She glanced around, suddenly nervous, though nothing appeared to have changed. She was still on the path, though it was harder to see, and it was quiet. Too quiet, in fact. Picking up her pace, she tried to jog, but the roots and grass made it impossible to go much faster than a walk. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw nothing to be afraid of, but the sense of something watching her had tripled. She touched her phone in her pocket, not yet wanting to call anyone. And even if she did call Jim or Trixie, how would she explain where she was? Her heart hammered hard in her chest, a staccato rhythm of terror, and she had to force herself to breathe. She was nobody. These kinds of things didn't happen to women like her.

She could see an opening in the trees just ahead, and this time, she ran. The horror of being alone with something in the woods pushed her faster, until she was blindly running and no longer really seeing anything. A few seconds later, she was in a clearing, and there was a little cottage with a small shed in front of her. She took a few gulping breaths and turned slowly, determined to face down what ever had been chasing her.

But there was nothing. Still, the unease was there. Something, or someone, was out there in the dark depths, watching her. She turned and jogged toward the cottage, determined to find someone to talk to. After several knocks on the door, though, she knew no one was home. In fact, it didn't even look like anyone lived here. The place seemed to be in pretty good shape, and after one more walk-around, she was finally calm enough to notice the realtor sign out by the driveway.

 _Just my luck,_ she thought. But the sense of being in danger was slowly fading, and she started walking down the road, one eye on the woods to her left. Five minutes later, the road teed up to another road and she went left, heading back toward Jim and Trixie's. She hadn't walked far when a horn went off behind her, and she glanced back to see a black Chevy car. It pulled over next to her and the driver rolled down the window.

"Madeleine." Brian's surprise at seeing her on the side of the road was evident. "Are you all right?"

Honey realized she must look a sight after her madcap dash through the woods. "I'm fine," she said. "Just out for a walk."

He gave her a doubtful look. "You're bleeding," he said. When she gave him a blank look, he pointed at her right arm. Blood, indeed, was trailing down it. "I'd better take a look at that." And before she could protest, he'd parked his car on the side of the road and gotten out, and my _word_ he was handsome and tall. She swallowed hard as he approached her. "May I?" he asked, nodding to her arm. She bit her lip and nodded, and he very gently took hold of it and inspected it. "Looks like you ran through some briars," he finally said, giving her a curious look.

"I, um, walked through the woods," she said.

"Those woods?" Brian jerked his head toward the left.

"Yes," she said. Her heart was hammering again, but for a different reason. He was still holding her arm.

He stiffened and said, "You shouldn't be out there alone." His voice, cautiously friendly a second ago, was now firm. "They can be dangerous."

"Oh, really?" She feigned innocence. She didn't want to admit that yes, she knew that from her horrifying experience.

"We have mountain lions here," he said. "And bears, sometimes." He was watching her close, for what reason, she didn't know. "Did you tell anyone you were going on a walk?"

Her eyes narrowed in temper, just a little. "I have my phone."

He frowned. "If an animal were to attack you, having the phone might not help."

"And someone knowing where I was wouldn't, either – not at the time of the attack," she shot back.

His dark eyes widened in surprise. "No, I suppose that's true," he admitted. "Look, I think you should come to the ER so I can examine that wound better. And you might have other ones, too."

"I'm fine," she said, and carefully eased her arm from his hands. "Thank you for stopping to check on me." She turned to go, but he caught her elbow and eased her around to face him again.

"I really think you should come with me," he said, and his voice was gently insistent. "You're pretty pale, and that's still bleeding."

She opened her mouth to object, but when she looked up at him, into those incredibly deep, dark eyes of his, she decided not to. "Okay, but I need to let Trixie know where I am," she said.

"That's fine." He let go of her and walked her around his car and opened the passenger door for her. She slid in and tried to relax. After all, he was a doctor, a very reputable doctor, and the oldest brother to one of her best friends. He was trust-worthy.

He got in and started the car, and after looking both ways carefully, pulled back onto the road. Honey finished texting Trixie and settled back into the seat. He glanced at her, a small smiled on his face. "You can trust me," he said, and it startled her that he should be able to figure out what was bothering her.

"I know," she said, and blushed when he frowned at her tone. "I'm sorry," she added. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's okay," he said. He turned his attention back to the road, and she tried to not find him too attractive. His long fingers rested on the steering wheel, and she wondered how they would feel against her cheek. Immediately her cheeks flamed with color, and she turned her head so she was facing the window. Embarrassment flooded through her. How could she have thoughts like that? She didn't know him at all. Yet the memory of dancing with him at Trixie and Jim's wedding forced itself into the forefront of her thoughts, and she remembered how his hands had felt at her waist, holding her gently and yet somehow protectively, and she bit her lip hard, so hard she wondered that she didn't draw blood.

They drove into town, and Honey caught sight of Trixie's office. Trixie's dark blue Chevy truck was parked out front, and Honey wondered if everything was okay. Trixie hadn't yet texted her back, but she was probably meeting with someone. Brian drove down the street to almost the other end and parked. Honey got out, and when she stood, she had to stifle a little cry of pain as her arm bumped against the door.

"I knew you were hurt," Brian softly chided as he walked over to her. He was frowning. "Come on, let's go get you completely checked out."

Her cheeks warmed at his words, and she just caught herself before she could bite her lip again. She was sure it was already swollen from having bitten it so many times already. She followed him across the street, appreciating the fact that he walked next to her, vigilant, even though the street was completely deserted. It was nice to be looked after, even for a little bit. Her father had never been a particularly warm person, and her mother had always seemed frightened of her, even when she was just a little girl. Honey had grown up with servants and even bodyguards at certain points in her life, but none of them had ever made her feel really safe, not like Brian Belden was doing right now, walking her across an empty street.

He walked her into his office, where an older woman smiled up at them from a desk. She tipped her tortoise shell glasses down a little, and said, "What's this, Doctor Belden?"

"She hurt her arm out in the woods," he said.

The woman's green eyes flared for a moment, and when she looked at Honey, there was something wary in their depths. "Which woods?" she asked.

"Out by Jim Frayne's," Honey told her. Why it mattered, she didn't know, but when the woman reacted like she'd been bit by a rattlesnake, the fear Honey had felt in the woods returned a little.

"Oh, goodness, you shouldn't be out there!" The woman looked at Brian, and Honey saw him give just the smallest shake of his head.

"It's fine, Florence. She'll be all right. This is really just more of a precaution than anything else," he said. His voice was low and reassuring, and the woman nodded, but Honey was still disturbed by her violent reaction.

She followed Brian back past the waiting room and into a back room. He smiled and said, "I'll be right back." He left before she could ask any questions, and she sat down in the chair, butterflies dancing in her stomach. Why had the woman been so nervous? Almost afraid? What was out in those woods? Brian had mentioned the big cats and bears, but it didn't seem likely that they would cause Florence to react so badly.

"Madeleine, this is Rachel. She's one of the PA's who works with me," Brian said, walking back into the room with an attractive dark-haired woman. Rachel smiled at her.

"Brian told me you got hurt in the woods," Rachel said. She nodded to Honey's arm. "May I see it?"

Honey held her arm out to her, and Rachel carefully examined it. "Looks like briar scratches to me," she said over her shoulder to Brian.

"That's what I figured, too," he said. He smiled reassuringly at Honey. "Just double-checking," he added. He nodded to Rachel. "Thanks," he said.

"You're welcome." Rachel walked to the door, stopped, and gave Honey a look that chilled her. "Best to stay out of those woods." She left before Honey could say anything, and she looked to Brian for some sort of explanation, but he didn't offer any.

"Why is everyone so afraid of the woods?" she finally asked. He came over and swabbed her wounds with antiseptic, making her jump.

"Sorry. I know it stings," he said, his voice quiet. He patted her arm dry and put some ointment on the wound, and covered it with a band aid. "It's not all of the woods around here," he finally said, looking at her. "Just those woods in particular."

"But why? I mean, are they haunted?" She said it in jest, just to be funny, to break the tension that filled the room, but when he didn't respond, she forced a laugh. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she said.

A frown slid over his face, and he walked over and shut the door before turning back to her. "Not haunted, exactly," he said, his voice low. "There have been strange things going on in those woods for years. Most people feel there's some sort of presence out there, something evil." When she stiffened, his eyes widened. "You felt it," he said.

"It could've been an animal," she told him.

"It probably was," he said, nodding. "I don't really believe the old wives' tales about those woods, but I will say strange things seem to happen there." He smiled, but it seemed forced. "I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of them from now on."

"I don't plan on doing any more nature hikes," she said. "I'm only here for a week."

"Yes, Trixie said something about that, but I thought she said two weeks." He looked at her, as if waiting for her to contradict him.

She smiled. "Well, she'd like me to stay two, but I have responsibilities in the city," she told him. "Am I allowed to go now?"

"Yes," he said immediately. "Although you're too far from Trixie's to walk back. I can call Jim and see if he can give you a ride."

"Oh, no, that's fine," she hurried to say.

He flashed an adorable grin at her. "Too afraid he'll scold you?" When she blushed, he laughed, and it warmed her to her core. "I can take you, if you'd like. I don't have any patients scheduled until this afternoon."

"That would be great," she said, nodding. She got to her feet and watched him open the door for her, and suddenly, she realized she wanted to spend more time with him, and was infinitely glad he'd volunteered to take her back to Jim's. As they walked past the receptionist's desk, she happened to glance over and catch Florence's eye. The older woman mouthed something to her that made her shiver, and Brian looked at her with concern. "I'm fine," she said. But as they walked out into the sunshine, she couldn't help but wonder about what Florence had said. _You've been warned._ It was such a weird thing to say.

"Are you hungry?" Brian asked.

"Um, well—" Her words were cut off by the growling of her stomach, and they both smiled at one another. "I am," she admitted.

"I know a place, if you're interested," he said.

"Please," she told him.

"Right this way," he said, and grinned. The warm June sun glinted off his dark hair, and Honey caught herself before she could swoon too much. She wasn't staying here, and he probably wasn't going to be moving to New York City anytime soon. She followed him down the street to a small café, and he held the door open for her.

A young woman with red curls approached, carrying two menus. "Ah, Doctor Belden. I was wondering when I'd get to see you again," she said, batting her eyelashes at him. Brian blushed, and the girl giggled and looked at Honey. "I do so enjoy teasing him," she said. "Sit anywhere you'd like. I'll be right back."

"She's nice," Honey said as Brian led her to a back table. He held her chair, and again, she ordered her heart not to swoon.

"She's married," he said, shaking his head. "And a huge flirt." He gestured to her menu. "Everything here is excellent. Marylynn, the owner, is also the cook, and phenomenal."

Honey perused the menu, glancing around occasionally. When the redhead returned, she ordered a BLT and a lemon water, while Brian got a burger and a Coke. The woman smiled at Brian. "Every time, Doctor. You're addicted to those burgers," she teased.

"Because they're so amazing," he said. She giggled and walked away, and he heaved out a soft sigh.

"Are you sure she's happily married? Because she seems to really like you," Honey said, smiling.

He shook his head. "No, she's happily married," he told her. "She's not my type, even if she wasn't." His eyes seemed to trace over her, and Honey struggled not to blush. "So, just here visiting?" he asked.

"Yes. Jim seemed to think I needed a break from the city."

"Do you?"

She considered his question before responding. "It's very peaceful here, and I don't get a lot of that in the city," she said. Her voice was quiet, and she didn't meet his gaze. "He and Trixie would like me to move here, but I don't know if that would be best for me."

"You're an artist," he said.

"Yes, I paint," she told him. "I have works in some of the galleries in the city. And I know your sister-in-law owns the art gallery here in town, because Trixie wants me to go visit it."

"You don't want to?"

She looked up at him, and his gaze was kind, if questioning. "It's not that, not really. I guess I'm sort of searching for myself a little, and I feel a little like I'm being forced to like it here." She looked down for a second. "I love Trixie and Jim, but I don't know if I'm cut out for living here." Meeting his gaze again, she silently begged him to understand what she meant.

"I get that," he said, nodding. "And Trixie can be super-stubborn when she wants something. I know she really likes you, so she'd naturally want you here in Sleepyside." He smiled. "It really is a great place. I grew up here, you know."

Honey smiled back. "I know. It seems really great, although I'm not so sure I want to live near a haunted forest." She grinned, enjoying teasing him.

"Not haunted. Just, you know, spooky." He was about to say more, but the redhead arrived with their food. "Thank you, Casey."

"You're welcome, Doc." She winked at him and leaned close to Honey. "Keep your eye on him, sweetie. I hear he has fast hands."

Brian choked on his sip of soda, and both girls burst into laughter. "Where did you hear _that_?" he demanded, his dark eyes sparking.

Casey grinned. "Oh, you know. People like to talk." She giggled and walked away, and Honey laughed, enjoying seeing the handsome doctor knocked off his equilibrium.

"I don't have 'fast hands,'" he mumbled and picked up his burger. "Careful hands is more like it."

"They can be careful _and_ fast," Honey teased, making him scowl at her. "I think it's good for you that Casey teases you."

"You're teasing me too," he reminded her.

"You need it," she informed him. She bit into her own sandwich and let out a soft little groan.

He grinned at her. "Told you the food was excellent."

"You did," she said, nodding. For a few minutes they simply ate and drank, and she saw Casey wave and grin at her from back behind the counter in the back of the café. Honey flashed a friendly smile at her. This was nice, this quiet setting and the way she felt completely at ease with Brian. He was funny and sweet, and it had been a good long while since she'd let herself enjoy the company of a man. Her last boyfriend, four years ago, had done a number on her. He'd been fun, lively, exciting, and an emotional hurricane wreck of a heartbreaker, and she hadn't bothered thinking about dating anyone else after him. _And I won't think about dating Brian, because that would never work. He's here, and I'm going back to the city._ This was just a lovely little break, an abnormality in her life, and she would enjoy this while it lasted. After that, she'd go back to being done with men.

When they finished, he paid and walked her back to his car. Honey knew Casey would undoubtedly be talking about them, but there would be nothing to corroborate her story, because they weren't together, and they weren't going to get together, either.

"Honey!"

They both turned to see Jim hurrying down the sidewalk toward them, and Honey inwardly tensed. The tall redhead immediately spied her band aide and said, "What happened? Why aren't you at our house? Are you okay?"

"Whoa, slow down," Brian said. He frowned. "She went for a walk in the woods and hurt her arm, so I brought her into town to make sure it was okay. She's fine."

Jim's green eyes narrowed. "The woods by our place?" When Honey nodded, he added, "They aren't safe, Honey. Why did you go in there?"

"Jim, I'm fine," she told him. "It was just a scratch. Brian just happened to be driving by and saw me. It's okay." She loved him like a brother, and because they were so close, she knew he worried about her, but really, this was nothing. Her mind tried to remind her of the terror she'd felt in the woods, but she pushed it back. It had probably just been her imagination, which was quite vivid.

He blew out a deep breath. "I went home for lunch and you weren't there, and you didn't answer your phone."

"Oh, sorry about that. I had it turned off."

"Turned off?" Brian gave her a look.

"At least I had it with me," she said. A tremor raced through her, and she saw his look turn to one of instant concern. "I'm fine," she said softly.

"Jim!"

They all turned to see Trixie racing toward them, a look of agitation on her face. "Oh, Honey. You're here." She stopped and added, "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"It was off," Honey and Brian said at the same time. They gave each other a quiet smile, and Honey added, "I'm sorry, Trix. I went for a walk and didn't think about turning it on."

"A walk?" Trixie looked her over. "You were in the woods, weren't you?" Concern flooded her voice. "They're dangerous."

"And haunted?" Honey said, unable to help herself. Trixie and Jim both frowned. "I'm fine, okay? Brian just brought me to town to check my arm over. It's just a scratch, really."

Trixie looked at her older brother. "You just happened to be driving by?"

"Yes," he told her, sounding irritated. "I've got to get back to my office." He put his hand lightly on Honey's shoulder. "It was nice seeing you again."

"You too," she said, and found herself wishing he could stay with her. He nodded and turned, walking back across the street. They were all quiet until he'd gone into his office, and Honey found herself tensing. She knew there were questions coming, so she hurried to head them off. "I'd like to go back to your house, if one of you can give me a ride," she said.

"I can," Jim said, and leaned down and, taking Trixie's face gently in his hands, kissed her. "Are you free for lunch, sweetheart?"

"I am now, so I'll follow you two home," she said, shooting Honey a look. "Don't be too hard on her."

"I won't." Jim nodded to Honey. "Come on."

She gave Trixie a hug and followed Jim to his black Silverado. After he backed onto the street and headed to his house, he glanced at her, and she said, "I promise, I'll stay out of the woods. But you never said they were supposedly haunted."

"They aren't haunted, Hon. But they are dangerous. We have mountain cats and bears, and the swamp is very dangerous all by itself. You could've gotten lost and we might not have found for you for a day or so." There was heavy concern in his voice.

"I followed the trail," she told him.

"What trail?"

"The trail that leads through the woods to that charming little cottage, the one that's for sale," she said. She saw him frown, and added, "It's not far from your house."

"Charming? That place is a wreck. And there's no trail, Hon. I should know – I run on our road every night," he told her.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "The cottage I saw was really cute, very pretty. And there _is_ a trail."

He looked ready to speak again, but seemed to think better of it. They rode the rest of the way in silence, and she found herself wishing again, fervently, that she could've spent the afternoon with Brian. When they arrived back at his house, Jim drove past it and down the road. "Where was the trail?" he asked.

"Just down there, on the left. It's a little hard to see from the road, though," she told him.

He drove slowly, until she told him to stop. They both got out, and she led the way over to where she'd found the trail. But after a minute of walking back and forth, and staring into the darkness of the forest, she hadn't found it. Jim had his arms crossed over his broad chest, and he finally said, "See, Hon, no trail. Maybe you thought you saw—"

"I know what I saw, Jim," she said. Her voice was sharper than she'd meant it to be, but this was frustrating. Why couldn't she find the trail? "I know it was here. I wouldn't have gone into the woods on my own without something to follow."

"I know, which is why it's so bizarre to me that you did," he told her. "You're smarter than that."

"Can you not be so condescending?" she asked. She huffed out an impatient breath. "It must be further down the road." She started walking but he reached out and gently snagged her arm. "Jim—"

"Come on. Trix will be starving, and so am I, and you haven't eaten yet probably, so let's go back to our house."

"I ate with Brian." The words were out before she could stop them, and he gave her a speculative look. "It's nothing, Jim. He asked if I was hungry, and my stomach growled. We ate at that little café on Main Street."

"Did you now." He slung his right arm over her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "You let Trixie hear that and she'll have the two of you married off before you know it."

"That won't happen." She stepped out from under his arm.

"He's a good guy," Jim said, frowning at her as he opened her door.

"Yes, he is, but I don't live here, and I don't see him doing a long-distance relationship." She got up into the truck. He sighed and shut the door and walked around to get in. He was irritated with her, she knew, but didn't feel he really had any right to be. She knew he still wanted to beat Kyle up for what he'd done, and he wanted her to be happy. But having a boyfriend had been a lot of work, and she wanted to concentrate on her painting, on her career.

"He's not like Kyle," he finally said after he'd turned the big truck around.

"I know."

He gave her a look. "I just want you to be happy, Honey. And I trust Brian. He wouldn't hurt you."

She sighed. "I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I didn't come here to find someone to date, or to move here. I came to spend time with you and Trix and relax. And so far, to be honest, I haven't really done either of those things."

"I know, and that's going to change," he told her. "Trix took care of what she needed to, and I'm off the rest of the week. So you've got both of our undivided attention." He gave her a fond smile. She smiled back.

"You won't tell Trix about Brian and I eating together?"

"Ha, are you kidding me?" He her an amused look. "Five bucks says she already knows that."

She sighed. "She does tend to find out things, doesn't she? Well, there's nothing going on between us."

They pulled into the driveway and saw Trixie waiting for them. She gave Honey a sly smile when she got out of the truck, and Honey sighed internally. How did Trixie find these things out?

"So, you and Brian had lunch together," Trixie said as they walked up the stairs onto the porch.

"We did, but Trix, it didn't mean anything," Honey hurried to say. "He's a really nice guy, but you know I'm not looking for anything romantic right now."

Trixie affected a wounded look. "But he needs a good woman, Honey, and you two would be perfect together. You really would."

"He was just being polite," Honey said. "I was upset by what had happened in the woods, and…" She immediately trailed off, hoping Trixie and Jim hadn't picked up on what she'd said.

"What happened?" Jim asked, blocking the door to the house and looking down at her. You said nothing happened."

"It didn't. I just misspoke," she told him.

"Truth," Trixie demanded.

Honey huffed out a breath. "Okay, I got spooked in the woods. I stayed on the trail—"

"There's no trail," Trixie told her, suspicion in her big blue eyes.

"There _is_ a trail, and I was on it, and it felt like something was watching me, following me. But Brian said there are sometimes mountain lions and bears, and I'm not used to being in the woods, and it was probably just a chipmunk or a bird," she rushed to say. But it hadn't been any of those things, and she knew it in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't even sure it had been an animal. It hadn't even felt _human_. Shivers wracked through her, and Jim put his big hands on her shoulders and squeezed.

"Honey, I don't know anything about a trail, but I do know it's not safe in the woods. Promise us you'll stay out of them from now on." His voice was low and she immediately nodded.

"I promise." She forced a smile. "Now come on – you two are starving, and I want to hear all about your mornings."


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Trixie Belden, or any of its associated characters. I'm just borrowing certain ones for a little story :-)

Thank you to "guest," for your very kind reviews, and for taking the time to read the first two chapters. I'm hoping this leads into a series of stories about Brian and Honey, and perhaps even more with a supernatural touch.

SINISTER

CHAPTER THREE:

As Honey tried to sleep that night, she found it nearly impossible to shut her eyes. The rest of the day had passed in relative peace, with Jim and Trixie regaling her with stories from their morning and their life together in Sleepyside. They had barbequed that night, and had sat on the porch until eleven, sipping rum and Cokes, and she knew she should be relaxed enough to sleep. But every time she closed her eyes, she could feel the terror from that morning creeping up on her in the darkened room, slithering over her blankets until it touched her face. She finally let out a deep breath of exasperation and reached for her phone. Maybe a few rounds of one of her favorite games would help calm her.

She had the sudden urge to talk to Brian. He was calm and sweet and kind, and she knew he would listen to her without any sort of judgement about what she had seen and heard. Jim and Trixie had both told her the cottage was a mess, falling down on itself, and when she had adamantly refused to believe that, Jim had driven her and Trix over to see it.

 _I still don't believe it, even though I saw it with my own eyes,_ she thought, setting her phone aside on the table next to the bed. It had been disturbing to see the cottage in such disrepair, the roof trying to fall in on itself, the windows broken out. The shed had completely fallen in, and Jim wouldn't even let them out of the truck to hunt around, saying they could get hurt. Trixie had told him they could take care of themselves, but he hadn't budged. Honey had been upset enough that she hadn't really wanted to look around. She knew Trix and Jim both thought she was crazy for having thought she'd seen it completely restored, but she knew what she had seen. _And felt._ Brian had told her the woods weren't necessarily haunted, but that strange things had happened there.

Her phone buzzed and she grabbed it, squinting in the bright light of its screen. _Brian? Really?_ "Hello?"

There was a second of hesitation. "Hi, Madeleine," he said. His voice was deep but she noted a little bit of tension. "Sorry for calling so late. I wanted to make sure your arm was okay."

"Oh. Oh, it's fine. Thanks," she said. She talked softly, but she wasn't worried about waking the other two. Their bedroom was downstairs, on the opposite side of the house.

"Good." He breathed out a sigh. "I, uh, also wanted to make sure _you_ were okay. You seemed rattled when Jim and Trixie showed up."

"I was," she said, a warm feeling flowing through her. "I knew they wouldn't be happy with me going into the woods, but I told them I stayed on the trail."

"What trail?"

Honey heaved an internal sigh. "I found a trail that led all the way through the woods to the cottage on the next road over."

"Never knew there was a trail there."

"I couldn't find it again. And then Jim took us over to see the cottage, and it, well, it didn't look like it had the first time I saw it." She could imagine how crazy she must sound to him.

"What do you mean?"

"When I first saw it, after coming out of the woods, it was beautiful. It looked like it had been restored. The shed on the far side of the yard was still standing."

"Oh." He was silent for several seconds, and said, "Yeah, it doesn't look anything like that."

"I know." She sighed. "You probably think I'm crazy."

"No." The word was immediate. "I just think that whatever it was that spooked you in the woods rattled you, and you imagined the cottage looking like that because it would mean safety for you." His voice was low and gentle, and soothing. "I'm sorry you were so badly frightened out there."

"It's okay." She wasn't sure what else to say. He was being incredibly nice, and she knew she had to end the call before she got too attached to the sound of his voice on the other end. "Um, it's late," she said, her voice soft.

"It is," he agreed. He was silent for a few moments, and added, "I had fun with you today. Maybe we could meet up for lunch again tomorrow? Or when you have time." The last was said quickly, as if he didn't want to intrude on her.

"That would be really nice," she said, even as she thought better of it. She wasn't here to stay, and he was too nice of a person to string along. But would it hurt to see him just once more for lunch? She'd be headed back to the city in a few days, and wouldn't likely see him again for some time. By then, some lucky girl would've snatched him up. She frowned as she thought of some other woman eating lunch with him, of being watched over by him.

"Okay, deal," he said, and she could tell he was smiling. "I'll let you get to sleep. See you soon, Madeleine."

"Honey."

"What?"

Her cheeks warmed. "Please, call me Honey. It's my nickname."

"I know," he said and chuckled. "I just wasn't sure I was allowed to call you that."

"You are now," she said. "Now that I know you a little better."

"Good. I'm glad." He paused. "I'll see you soon, Honey. Sweet dreams."

"Night, Brian." She slowly ended the call, almost wishing she could stay on the line longer with him. _I'm already getting too attached to him. This isn't good._ Some of it, she knew, was because it'd been so long since she'd been with a guy who was nice to her. _Ugh. I can't go falling for the first nice guy who comes along. That never ends well._ She'd thought Kyle was a nice guy, too, and that definitely hadn't ended well. But did it hurt to have lunch with Brian, to just spend some time with him? _That's harmless, right?_ She gave a shake of her head and tried to sleep, because she knew in her heart it _wasn't_ harmless.

The following day Honey found herself being carted around town by Trixie and Jim, meeting a lot of the locals, and in general being made to feel like she was a part of the small town. She found she enjoyed the atmosphere, but in the back of her mind, she wondered how much of it was her own personal feelings, and how much was the tour de force that was Trixie. Of course Trixie wanted her to live here so they could hang out more. Honey wanted to see her friends more, too.

"I told Brian we'd meet him for lunch at the café again," Trixie told her. They'd just left the offices of the Sleepyside Sun, where Honey had waited while Trixie had talked to her other brother, Martin. Mart was tall and blonde, and had greeted Honey warmly when Trixie had introduced them again. He was married to Diana, who ran the local art gallery.

"Okay," Honey said. She didn't want to sound too enthusiastic, because she didn't want Trixie to think there was something going on between them when there clearly wasn't.

Trixie shot her a look. "You can sound a little more excited than that," she said, shaking her head. "I know you enjoy his company."

"I do, but remember: I'm only here until Friday."

"And remember: I told you two weeks."

Honey sighed. "Trix, I can't. I have a painting to finish, and there's a gallery opening that I've been invited to. I have to be there."

"Wouldn't you like a handsome guy on your arm for that?" Trixie asked, glancing at her. "Brian would go. I know he would."

"I'm not asking him to go. We barely know each other," Honey told her. She saw Brian standing outside the café with Jim, and she hated the smile that spread across her face at the sight of him. She couldn't afford to entangle her heart with someone from this town, someone who wasn't going to follow her back to New York.

"I see that grin," Trixie said, accusation in her voice. "You like him. You guys are a perfect match."

"No, we aren't." Honey gave a violent shake of her head to illustrate that point. "I know you want us both to be happy, but we aren't getting together."

Trixie didn't say anything else, but Honey knew her mind was going past the speed limit, trying to think of a way to shove Honey and Brian together. Honey sighed to herself and watched as Jim greeted Trixie by lifting her into the air, spinning her around, and then kissing her quite passionately. Brian rolled his eyes and slid a grin toward Honey.

"Disgusting," he whispered, moving closer to her.

"Agreed," Honey whispered back. She couldn't help the grin that again wound across her face. He nodded toward the café.

"This could take a while," he said. "Want to go in?"

"Please," Honey said. Brian held the door for her, and she reminded her knees not to go weak. She was sure he was just being a gentleman – he probably opened doors for all the women. She was nothing special to him. _And I don't want to be, either,_ she sternly reminded herself.

Casey met them and showed them to a table. "I see Jim and Trix are with you today," she said, glancing toward the door.

"They'll be in soon," Brian told her. "Can I get a Coke?"

"Anything for you, Doc," she told him. "And for you?"

"Do you have lemonade?"

"Strawberry, and it's delicious," Casey said.

"That sounds wonderful," Honey said. Casey nodded and walked to the back of the café, disappearing into the back room. Honey leaned back in her chair, and tried very hard not to be nervous around Brian. She had no reason to be nervous. She didn't like him like that.

"So," Brian said, a few moments later when she hadn't started a conversation. "What are you guys up to today?"

"Trixie and Jim have just been taking me around town, introducing me to everyone," she said. "I think they're trying to get me to move here."

"Oh, no doubt," Brian said. "Mart told me Trixie has a binder full of houses for sale for you to look through."

"She does. But, and this may sound strange, if I _were_ to move here, there's only place I'd want," Honey said.

"Yeah? What place?" Brian leaned toward her, interested.

"The cottage one road over from their place," Honey said. "I mean, I know it's an eyesore right now, but it could be amazing." _Like how I saw it the first time, after leaving the woods._ She wondered if the spookiness in the woods had had anything to do with that, and decided not to think too much about it. She didn't like the idea of being fooled by whatever had been watching her in the woods.

"Honey? Are you okay?" Brian asked. Concern radiated in his brown eyes. "You're covered in goosebumps, and shivering."

She looked down at her arm, mortified to discover that he was right. "Oh, I'm fine," she said, rubbing her arms.

He gave her a skeptical look, and said, "The old cottage, huh? It would be a great place, all fixed up." He glanced toward the door when Jim and Trixie came in. "Did you sleep okay last night?"

"I did," she said, but that wasn't completely the truth. Her dreams had morphed into nightmares, filled with unknown horrors chasing her through the woods. But he didn't need to be bothered with all that – she knew he would just be more concerned, and she didn't warrant his concern.

"Sorry about that," Jim said as he pulled out a chair for Trixie.

"No you're not," Brian said, shaking his head.

Honey smiled, listening to the boys' banter. Casey came over to take Jim and Trixie's drink orders and to deliver Brian and Honey's. It all seemed so normal, so every day, and Honey found herself wondering if she'd miss this when she went back to the city. Her phone rang, and she looked down at it.

"I have to take this," she whispered to Trixie, and got up. Walking over to the door, she answered the phone and went outside.

"Honey, thank goodness. I was hoping you'd pick up," Isabel, one of her fellow painters, said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why, what's up?"

"Someone broke into the art gallery over on Fifth, and…" Isabel broke off, and Honey's stomach clenched.

"Isabel, what? What did they do?"

"They wrecked your two paintings that were there, the one with the fishing pond and the one with the old woman on the porch swing." Isabel huffed out a breath. "Those were the only ones they touched, and they left a note on one of them, threatening you."

"Threatening me?" Honey couldn't fathom anyone threatening her. "Like how?"

"Like they want to kidnap you," Isabel said. Her voice had grown shaky. "Honey, I'm worried about you. You're out in the middle of the sticks, in that little boondock town. You need to come back here so the police can protect you."

Honey sucked in a deep breath. She had dealt with this sort of thing before. Being the daughter of one of the richest men in the world had put her at risk a few times over the course of her life, and she was no stranger to bodyguards and strict schedules. "It's fine. Have the police been contacted?"

"Yes, and they think you should come here," Isabel told her. "Look, this is scary, Honey. Really scary. It's serious."

"I know. But there's no need to panic, okay? I've had bodyguards before. I can always have my dad get me a couple."

"Whoever did it wrecked your paintings! Aren't you upset about that?"

"Yes, of course I am." Honey dropped her voice as a couple of women walked past. "But I'm fine, and they didn't damage anything else. It's probably someone upset with my father. If the police need to talk to me, just have them call me."

"Okay, I guess." Isabel didn't sound happy with that. "Are you sure you're safe where you are?"

Honey smiled, thinking of how protective Jim could be. "I'll be just fine. Call me if anything else happens, okay? And don't worry. Like I said, it probably has to do with my dad or something his company has done. Just take care of yourself."

"Okay. Be careful." Isabel ended the call, and Honey slid her phone back into her pocket, and took a deep breath.

Those had been two of her favorite paintings she'd done, and now they were gone, lost, destroyed. _And someone is threatening me, again._ A thought occurred to her that she didn't really contemplate – _what if it's the guy that was following me at that gallery opening? The one Trix calls the "superfan?"_ Honey had laughed it off at the time, but she knew the possibility was there. The man had been spotted in several places the same time she'd been there, but she had always written it off to coincidence. _Maybe I should go back to the city, and talk to Dad. Maybe bodyguards wouldn't be such a bad idea._ Yet she hated, loathed, in fact, the whole idea of being constantly shadowed by someone else.

"Honey?"

She jumped and gasped before she registered it was Brian, and she saw the instant concern blossom across his handsome face and through his dark eyes. "Hi," she breathed out, trying to rein in her panic.

"What is it? What happened?" he asked, reaching out to put his hand gently on her shoulder.

Her first instinct was to say nothing about what had happened, because she didn't want to bother him with it. But looking up into his eyes, and seeing the real concern there, and knowing that this was a big deal, she took a deep breath and said, "Someone broke into a gallery in the city and destroyed two of my paintings."

"What? Why? That's crazy." There was shock in his voice. "Did they wreck anyone else's?"

"No, just mine." She felt her knees beginning to weaken a little as the reality started settling in. "And they left a note, threatening me."

Brian immediately reached out and drew her to him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He was solid and warm and comforting, and she thought about just melting into him, but knew she couldn't. He wasn't her boyfriend, and he shouldn't have to shoulder any of this. "Brian, it's okay," she said.

"No, it's not," he told her. "Come on." He reached out and opened the door to the café and walked her inside, and she saw Jim and Trixie both get to their feet when they saw them.

"It's fine," she hurried to tell them, not wanting to draw any attention. Brian frowned down at her and pulled out her chair for her. She sat down, giving him a look. "Really, guys, everything is fine," she said.

"No, it's not," Brian said. He looked at his sister and Jim. "Someone broke into a gallery in the city, destroyed two of her paintings, and left a note threatening her." His voice was low and dark with anger, taking Honey aback. She hadn't expected this reaction from him, or really, any reaction.

"That's crazy," Jim said. He looked at Honey. "And it's not fine, Honey. Have you talked to the police?" His voice was also full of anger.

"No. One of my artist friends called me about it," she told him. "Really, Jim, it's okay. You know I've had issues like this before, and—"

"What?" Brian gave her an incredulous look. "You've been threatened before?"

"Jim and I both have. It's one of the curses of having two of the most powerful men in the world as our fathers," Honey said, frowning. "It's not that big of a deal. I feel really bad about those paintings though, because they were two of my favorites I've done, but being threatened is nothing new." She knew Jim couldn't argue with her there – he knew it was true.

"That doesn't mean we can take this lightly," Jim told her. "You should talk to your dad."

"No, because he'll just sic some bodyguards on me," Honey said. "I'm not in any danger right now."

"You might be," Trixie said. There was seriousness in her blue eyes that made Honey uneasy. "Jim's right – you should talk to your dad and see if he can have someone—"

" _No bodyguards_ ," Honey told her, shaking her head. "I'm perfectly safe right here. No one but a few close friends even know I'm here in Sleepyside. It's probably just someone disgruntled with my father or his company."

"You should talk to your dad, then," Jim told her. His green eyes glinted in the lights from above. "Even if it is just someone upset with him, you could still be in danger."

Honey sighed and rubbed her temples. "I appreciate the concern, Jim, but I'm not going to go into hiding." She was about to say more, but Casey came back with Jim and Trixie's drinks, and she didn't want the waitress privy to the conversation. They ordered food, though Honey had lost her appetite, and she hoped they'd drop the conversation after Casey walked away. But one glance at the couple's faces, and she knew they weren't going to.

"Jim's right," Brian said. "You need to look into this."

And, apparently, Brian wasn't going to drop it, either. Her phone rang again before she could say anything else, and seeing as it was her father, she knew she couldn't ignore it. She got up and went outside, not surprised to see Brian right behind her. "Hi, Dad," she said, her voice quiet.

"I assume you heard what happened," Matthew Wheeler said. His tone was brisk. "I want you back in the city by tonight, and I will have bodyguards waiting at your apartment."

"No, Dad. I'm not coming back," she told him. She spoke in a very firm voice, having learned years ago that that was just about the only voice her father respected. "I'm safe here. Jim's here. I'm fine."

"I don't want Jim getting involved in this," Matthew said. "Be at your apartment at eight."

"No." Honey took a breath, realizing she was shaking. She felt a hand on her arm and looked up into Brian's dark eyes. "I'm not coming back, Dad. Not until I'm ready."

"Then don't come crying to me if something happens." Matthew's voice was dark with fury, and he hung up on her.

Honey shoved her phone back into her pocket. Brian reached out and gently tipped her chin up. "He's furious," she whispered.

"He's just worried for you," Brian said, his tone gentle. "I doubt he's that upset."

She shook her head and turned her back to him. Brian didn't know her father at all, and she knew him all too well. "No, he's furious. He wants me to come back to the city tonight so he can put bodyguards on me around the clock. That's not going to happen. I've been there and done that." She couldn't help the shake in her voice.

"Maybe you should do what he asks, at least for a week or so," Brian suggested. Honey shook her head.

"No. I'm not going back." She didn't believe that this had anything to do with her. "I think my father ticked someone off, and they did this to get back at him, indirectly. The problem is, my father and I don't get along so well." This was, indeed, nothing new. She breathed out a sigh and turned to go back in to face down Jim and Trixie.

"Hey." Brian stepped in front of her. She looked up at him. "As long as you're here, we won't let anyone hurt you," he said. His voice was quiet but deep with steel, and a little shudder danced down her spine at his words.

"I know," she said.

"Good." He held the door for her, and she was finding she was already quite fond of his good manners, the feel of him at her back. She knew she was getting too used to it, but right now, with a threat hanging low over her head, and the argument with her father, she wanted to have Brian in her corner.

"So?" Jim asked, watching her carefully as she sat down.

"He told me he wanted me back at my apartment by eight. I told him no," she said, watching him. She saw the anger flash through his eyes.

"So you're staying here," he said.

"Yes. I hope that's okay," she told him. She was just now realizing that maybe Jim and Trixie wouldn't want her at their place when there was a threat out against her.

"Of course it's fine," Trixie said, reaching out to touch her arm. "You can stay as long as you like." Her blue eyes were serious, but Honey knew her well enough to know the blonde was at least a little bit pleased by the turn of events, because it meant Honey would probably be staying with them longer.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." She looked at her food, but there was no way she could eat anything right then.

The door to the café opened and she noticed how Jim and Brian both tensed. Curious, she glanced over her shoulder and saw three men come in. They glanced at her, and a chill shimmied down her spine. These were not men she'd be at all interested in meeting.

"Casey!" one of them yelled. He was wearing a blue T shirt and had light eyes. Casey appeared from the back and approached them, a forced smile on her face.

"Hey boys. What'll it be today?" she asked.

Another of the men grinned. "How about you just come out to the truck with us?"

"Don't talk to her like that." Brian's voice was cold.

"Stay out of it, Doc. Wouldn't want to hurt you," the man with light eyes said.

Before Brian could say anything, Casey flashed a smile at the men. "What can I get for you guys?" she asked.

They quieted down and began to order, and Brian huffed out a breath and looked across the table at Jim. Honey looked at Jim too, and could see the anger in his eyes. "Who are they?" she whispered, leaning toward him.

His green eyes flicked to her for a second. "Locals," he whispered. "You don't need to concern yourself with them."

Honey glanced over at the men, who now seemed content to talk quietly among themselves. They didn't seem particularly threatening, but she didn't like the way they'd yelled at Casey or told Brian to stay out of it. From just having hung out with him yesterday and today, she already knew that if someone needed help, there was no possible way Dr. Brian Belden could "stay out of it."

They finished eating in silence, and while Jim and Brian paid, Brian insisting on paying for Honey, the two women went outside to wait in the sunshine. "So who are they?" Honey asked, looking at Trixie.

"They work for a local construction company," Trixie said. She didn't look happy. "And they like to cause trouble whenever they can."

"Why don't the police do something?"

"They would if these guys broke a law. They just like being pains in the ass in general," Trixie said, shaking her head. "Brian and Jim have run afoul of them a couple times."

"Yeah, didn't look like any lost love there," Honey said, nodding. The two men stepped out, and Honey bit her lip. She wanted to ask if they were okay, but both wore dark expressions, and she decided it was best to move on. "So, what's next today?" she asked, looking at Trixie.

"I thought we'd visit the gallery," Trix said, but her attention was focused on Jim, who talking quietly to Brian.

"Sounds good," Honey said. She wished she knew how to break the tension. Brian glanced at her, and she gave him a big smile, wanting to make him feel better. She didn't entirely understand why the three men had put her friends off so much, but knew she didn't know all the background and history.

"You guys better go," Brian said, nodding to Jim. He moved closer to Honey and gave her a hug. "I'll see you again soon," he said.

"Okay," she said, nodding. She hugged him tight and let go, and watched him make his way back toward his office. "You okay, Jim?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Yeah," he said, huffing out a breath. "Come on. Di will be expecting us." He and Trixie started walking, hand-in-hand, and Honey followed, wondering just what was really going on with those construction workers.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Trixie Belden or any of her cohorts. This story is purely for entertainment purposes.

Thank you for the extremely nice reviews so far. I'm glad others are happy to see Honey and Brian starring in their own story. I have a feeling this will morph into a series with a supernatural twist to each one. Hope you enjoy :-)

SINISTER

CHAPTER FOUR:

Diana Belden was one of the most beautiful women Honey had ever encountered, and she was happy to find that she was also one of the nicest. Diana insisted Honey call her "Di," and showed them around the gallery. It was a large building, and the art was tastefully arranged. Honey found herself thinking this was a place she'd be happy to sell her work from.

"I'm so very happy you came to visit Trixie and Jim," Di said as she brought out some tea for them. "And I just love you work."

"Thank you," Honey said, accepting a cup with some green tea with lemon. "Your gallery is beautiful."

"It's getting there," Di said, nodding. "There are still some rough areas to work out, but so far it's coming along nicely." She sipped from her own cup, eying Honey over the rim with speculation. "I'd love to have some of your work here."

"That would be wonderful," Honey said. "I thought about offering, but wasn't sure it would be something you'd want."

"Oh, absolutely." Di gave a vigorous nod. She looked over at Trixie and Jim, who had moved off a ways and were deep in conversation. "Are they all right? They seem tense."

"We had a bit of a run-in with some construction workers at the café," Honey told her.

"Oh." Di's violet eyes widened and narrowed. "Yes, that would be enough to make them upset."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened in the past with them? I mean with those workers? They made a threat to Brian," Honey said.

"They work for Peter Kimball. He's a contractor from Cobbett's Island." Di sighed. "He's a nice enough man," she said. "And his company is very good, very sought-after. They're the ones who did all the work on the gallery for me. But his men, these three in particular, are ruffians and trouble-makers. They like to start things."

"Is that why Brian and Jim don't like them?"

Di frowned. "No, they have a bigger reason than that. Trixie was leaving her office late one night, about a month ago, and they were out in the parking lot, waiting for her. She was working a case that somehow involved one of them, I don't know who, and they threatened her." Di's voice was quiet, troubled. "They didn't hurt her or anything, but Jim, Brian, Mart, and Dan have been furious with them ever since."

"I can see why. That's terrible," Honey said, shaking her head. "Wasn't there anything the police could do?"

"Dan said unless they made a move to hurt her, they really didn't have much to go on. And Trixie said she was okay, and not to worry about it." Di smiled fondly towards the blonde. "She's so spunky, isn't she? I wish I was more like her, sometimes."

"Me too," Honey said, her voice soft. She loved Trixie to death, and hoped that no one else would threaten her. She could imagine Jim hadn't taken the news of his wife being threatened; he'd always been overprotective of Honey if he thought he needed to be, and would be twice that overprotective with Trixie.

The chimes over the doors went off, and Di hurried away to attend to her customer. Honey wandered over to a wall of paintings and prints and studied them, losing herself for a few moments in the art. Her phone vibrated and she pulled it out, frowning at the CID before answering. "Isabel? What is it?"

"Honey, you need to stay wherever it is you are," her friend said. "Something else has happened, and I want you to be safe."

"What happened?"

Isabel inhaled a sharp breath. "The police wanted to check your apartment, so one of your dad's aides went over to let them in, but the door lock was broken, and the place was destroyed. I'm so sorry." She let out a small sob.

"Oh, Isabel, it's okay," Honey said, trying to keep her voice low. She didn't want Jim or Trixie overhearing her. "Anything that was damaged can be replaced."

"But aren't you worried? I mean, whoever it is, they were in your _apartment_ , Honey," Isabel said. Honey could imagine how very wide and round her friend's green eyes would be as she was talking. "That's scary!"

"It is," Honey agreed. A small chill touched her back. "But like I said, there's nothing there that can't be replaced." She saw Trixie watching her, and turned away, instantly knowing how suspicious that would look. "I appreciate you calling me. Do the police there have my number?"

"They do," Isabel said. "Have you talked to your dad?"

"Yes." Honey didn't care to elaborate. "Let me know if something else happens, okay? And be careful."

"Why?"

Honey gave a little mental sigh. Isabel was very talented, an artist who instinctively knew how her art should look and feel, an artist very in-touch with her emotions and those of her fans. But common sense was sometimes lacking in her everyday thoughts and motion. "You're one of my best friends, and if the person who threatened me has been watching me at all, he or she has seen me with you." She let that soak in for a moment. "I just want you to be safe, okay?"

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that." Isabel's voice became breathy. "Okay, yes, you're absolutely right. I'll make sure I stick close to Aaron."

"Good. I'll talk to you more later." Honey hung up, knowing that Aaron Sullivan, Isabel's older brother, wouldn't let any harm come to her. He was very much like Jim in that respect.

"Honey?" Trixie approached her. "Everything all right? You look pale."

"I'm fine." Honey gave a small chuckle. "Just some work-related issues, that's all." And it _was_ the truth, sort of. "This place is beautiful. And Di is—"

"Gorgeous." Trixie rolled her eyes and giggled. "Mart's still in shock that she actually went out with him in the first place, and in awe that she married him." Her blue eyes slitted. "But you're not telling me the truth, are you? And you're trying to divert my attention. Who was on the phone?"

Honey's own hazel eyes narrowed. "Trix, it's fine." She didn't need them knowing that her apartment had been broken into – it would only make them worry more. And if they worried, she was going to worry, too, more than she was already.

"I have to go." Jim walked over to them. "A pipe broke at the school, and I need to meet the plumber there." He studied the two of them, and a frown traced over his tanned, handsome face. "Okay, what's up? What happened?"

Trixie nodded at Honey. "She was talking to someone on the phone, and now she's all tense and pale and won't say anything."

Honey bit her lip in frustration. As much as she loved Trixie, and that was an infinite amount, she sometimes hated the way the private investigator could read a situation, and how incredibly stubborn she could be. "Look, it's all right. It's under control," she finally said. Well, maybe it wasn't, but they didn't need to know that.

"Madeleine Grace Wheeler." Jim's voice dropped to ice. "Tell us right now." He crossed his arms over his broad chest, and Honey sighed. It was no use.

"Can we talk about it somewhere else? Please?" She knew they'd both be upset, and she didn't want to alert Diana to what was happening.

"Fine." Jim nodded.

"But aren't you supposed to go to the school?" Honey asked, frowning at him. After he'd graduated from college, Jim had opened his own private school for troubled youth, something he was very passionate about. Though he'd had what some called an idyllic upbringing, he'd had friends who hadn't. The school was his way of helping those who couldn't really help themselves.

He shrugged. "I can have someone else meet the plumber. This is important."

"Okay." Honey knew when she was defeated. They talked to Diana, said their goodbyes, and left. The construction workers were walking down the street, but on the other side, and she gave them a cursory glance. The one with the light eyes and blue T shirt locked eyes with her for that moment, and she shuddered. There was something menacing in his gaze, something disturbing lurking below the surface. She turned her eyes away and hurried after Jim and Trixie, who were talking quietly. They walked to Jim's truck and got in.

"All right, Hon, let's have it," Jim said. He and Trixie turned in the front seat to face her in the back seat, and she took a mental deep breath.

"Isabel called again. She said the police went to my apartment to check on it, and when they got there, the door lock was broken, and my apartment was basically destroyed." Honey was proud that her voice didn't shake.

"My God." Jim shook his head. "I think this is more serious than we'd originally thought. You need to talk to your dad. I know you don't want bodyguards, but I think you need them." His voice was firm, and Honey took a slow breath.

"I know, Jim, but no one knows where I am right now. I mean, whoever did this, they probably don't know how to find me, and—"

"It wouldn't be that hard," Trixie said, shaking her head. "Jim's right. You need to talk to your dad again."

Honey exhaled softly. She knew there was no sense in arguing with them. When they agreed on something, they were a formidable force. "Okay, I'll call him and tell him what's happened. But I'll probably have to go back to the city."

Trixie and Jim looked at each other. "I know," Jim finally said, turning to face her again. "But this is probably for the best right now. Your dad can keep an eye on you."

"I don't need anyone 'keeping an eye on me,' Jim," she said. All she had wanted was a vacation, a quiet one, and now this was happening. But she understood their reasoning – it would be very odd to have a man shadowing her every step if she were to remain here. In New York, a bodyguard wouldn't even get a second of notice. And she didn't want to bring trouble to her friends' doorstep, either. "I'll pack as soon as we get back."

"I hate to send you back to the city," Jim said. "But right now, I honestly feel like that's the safest place for you."

"Me too," Trixie said. She gave Honey a sad smile. "But you will come visit us again as soon as this is all worked out."

"I will," Honey said, nodding her promise.

"You can stay at your dad's," Jim said, turning around to start the truck.

"I'll probably have to," Honey said. "I doubt I'll be allowed to go back to my apartment."

"Brian's going to be upset," Trixie said. "He's getting fond of you."

"Which is odd, since he doesn't really know me," Honey told her. If she were honest, she was also getting quite fond of the dark-haired doctor, but she knew it was too soon for those types of feelings. They didn't know each other, and she was not ready for another relationship. "Hey, by the way, he called me last night. How did he get my number? Trixie?"

"He called you?" Jim cast a glance at his wife, who frowned.

"What? They're getting along really well, so I thought he might as well have her number, in case he wanted to call her," Trixie said, shrugging. She glanced back at Honey. "So he called you last night, huh?" Her tone suggested there was more to the story, but Honey frowned at her.

"I didn't say you could give my number out, Trix," she retorted. "And he was just checking to make sure my arm was okay."

"Sure he was," Trixie said, grinning. "See, I knew you liked him."

Honey sat back in her seat and kept her mouth shut. She knew Trixie was just trying to find her a nice boyfriend, and her brother a good girlfriend, but Honey and Brian didn't exactly travel in the same circles. She was a big city girl, and he was a small-town boy. _Ugh. I don't know why it matters so much to her. When I'm ready, I'll find someone again. And Brian will end up marrying some girl from here, so what difference does it make?_

When they got back to the farm house, she ran upstairs to pack. She called her father, got his voicemail, and left a message that she was driving back into the city that day and would see him at his place. Jim and Trixie were waiting on the porch for her, and she hugged them both.

"Be careful," Jim told her. "If you need us, you call. I mean it." His green eyes were solemn, and he put his hands on her shoulders, giving them a squeeze.

"I will. I promise." Honey nodded and turned to Trixie. "Keep him out of trouble for me, okay?"

Trixie nodded and gave her a tight hug. "Are you sure you'll be okay driving back by yourself?"

"Yes." Honey didn't want any more fuss being made over her. She was a big girl – she could handle this. She'd handled worse things at younger ages. "I'll call you when I get to my father's place."

"Okay." Jim held her door open, and she got into the 4-Runner. "Take care of yourself, Hon."

She wanted to say something clever, something funny to ease the worry in his eyes, but she'd never been able to pull humor off like that, and didn't attempt it now. He gave her a tight smile, kissed her forehead, and shut the door. She started the 4-Runner and drove out of their yard, heading back the way she'd come just two days ago. She passed a police car, and wondered vaguely if it was Trixie's friend Dan. _I just wanted a short vacation. Was that so much to ask? I guess it was, apparently._ She sighed.

Her phone rang and she picked it up out of the cup holder, and frowned. "Hello?" she said, as she eased the SUV onto the side of the road.

"I just spoke with the police." Her father's voice was firm and intense. "Where are you at right now?"

"Just left Jim's," she told her father, not bothering to mention Trixie. Her father was still under the impression that Trixie had simply been trying to "marry up" because she wanted Jim's money. While no one had seemed to share the view, Honey knew that Jim's father had argued that Trixie should have to sign a prenuptial agreement, to which Jim had firmly told him she didn't. That had been the end of the argument, but Honey knew her own father would never have given up that easily. He still thought Win, Jim's father, was too easy-going on his son.

"Turn around and go back."

"What? I thought you wanted me to come back to the city and get some bodyguards."

"Something has come up. You're better off at Jim's – he can keep you out of trouble." Matthew's voice was short. "I'll call you later."

"But Dad—" She made a frustrated sound when she realized he'd hung up and set her phone down. _Great. Now what? I know Jim and Trixie won't care, but I don't want to cause them any trouble, or cause trouble for their community._ A truck going the other way drove past, and as she gave it a cursory glance, a chill coursed down her spine, and she turned her head to watch it. Something had seemed familiar about it.

There was a rap on her window, causing her to jump and blush when she realized it was the police officer from the other night. She quickly rolled the window down. "Hello, Officer," she said, trying to calm the rapid beating of her heart.

"Afternoon," he said, looking in at her. "Everything all right?"

"Yes, thank you. I was taking a call."

He gave a nod. "Good idea to pull over and do that." He studied her from beneath his hat. "You're Trixie's friend from New York, right? The artist?"

"Yes," she said. "Madeleine Wheeler."

"Officer Dan Mangan." He gave her his hand to shake, and she was pleased with his firm handshake. Some men she'd encountered seemed to think she was too delicate, and would shake her hand limply. She hated that. "Headed home already?"

"No, actually. I was, but then I talked to my father, and now I'm—" She broke off, giving him a small smile. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I'm headed back to Trixie's."

He grinned. "It's all right. I'll probably see you around." He made to turn away, then leaned down to her again. His eyes were instantly serious and intense. "Do yourself and all of us a favor, too – stay out of those woods by their house."

Her mouth fell open and he walked away before she could ask him what he meant by that. How had he known about that? Had Trixie told him? Why would he care? _Boy, news sure travels fast around a small town._ She turned the 4-Runner around and headed back toward Jim's, her mind turning over what Dan had said. Why was everyone so against her going in the woods? She knew Brian had said that some of the townspeople thought there was something sinister in them, but what? _Is it like a Blair Witch thing? Because that would be super creepy._ A shudder twitched across her shoulders, and she was glad to turn back into the Frayne driveway.

Jim was just getting into his truck, and he waited for her to walk up to him before saying, "Change of plans?"

"Dad said something came up, and he thinks I'll be safer here with you looking out for me," she said.

"Did he say what happened to change his mind?"

"No."

Jim frowned. "Not sure I like that. Your dad is a hard guy to spook."

"I know."

"Not happy to be back?"

"No, it's not that." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I talked to Dan. He stopped to ask if everything was okay."

"And?"

"And he also warned me to stay out of the woods here." She tilted her head to the side and studied him. "What's in the woods, Jim?" When he frowned at her, she added, "No putting me off, now. I want to know what has everyone in this town so spooked."

He sighed and said, "It's just old legends, Hon." When she gave him a pointed look, he heaved another, deeper sigh, and added, "You can go to the school with me. We'll talk there."

"Where's Trixie?"

"Back at work. She figured she might as well get something done since you were leaving." He walked around the truck and held the passenger door open for her.

She got in and waited while he did the same, all the while wondering what vast secrets the old woods held. When they pulled out of the driveway, she glanced down the road to the right, looking intently at the woods. But they looked normal to her, with nothing spooky or sinister about them. The ride to the school was about ten minutes, and in that time, Jim remained silent, pensive. She wondered what he was thinking about, if anything. She'd grown up around enough men to know that sometimes, they thought about nothing. _If only it were that way for women,_ she mused, feeling just a bit cross. She'd like to be able to turn her thoughts off, but it never worked. There was always too much to think about.

The Academy for Boys' Education, affectionately nicknamed just the "Academy" by the town, nestled in a valley near the Hudson River. The registration building sat on the top of a hill, overlooking the rest of the buildings. There were two dormitories, and Honey knew Jim was already planning to add two more to keep up with the demands on the school. It was heart-breaking that so many young men needed something like this, she thought. They parked near the maintenance building and Jim looked at her.

"No going back once you know, Hon," he said. "And for the record, the reason we don't want you in the woods is because of the dangerous animals that roam it and the swamp area, not because of old spooky legends." His voice was firm, as was the direct gaze he held on her.

She forced a grin. "And I believe you. But I'd still like to know what the legend is." When he didn't smile, or offer even the hint of one, she swallowed hard. "Lay it on me."

He nodded. "Okay. Let's just say the town has a history that's…soiled, for lack of a better term."

"Soiled how?"

"You've heard the old saying, 'Something wicked this way comes,' right?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Well," he said, sighing, "something wicked once came to Sleepyside, sometime after the Revolutionary War had ended." He rubbed the back of his neck. "You really sure you want to know all this?"

"Yes." Her answer was immediate. When he still hesitated, she added, "Please, Jim. I've had several people warn me to stay out of those woods, and I'm tired of being uneasy about something I know nothing about." Not to mention the fact that something had chased her out of those woods not so long ago. She wanted answers.

"That's fair," he said. "A group of soldiers from the War rode into town and caused a ruckus at one of the bars. Legend says they might not have all been from America."

"British soldiers?"

"That's what some people around here say," he said, nodding. "Anyway, they took a liking to the area and decided to stay. None of them had families or wives. Legend also says that they were involved in some type of witchcraft, which most people think they learned while in Massachusetts." He glanced at her, as if gauging her response.

"Keep going," she said, finding it intriguing.

He sighed. "Anyway, things started happening in the village, things that the people couldn't explain. People disappearing, weird lights and sounds in the woods, smoke where there shouldn't be any. They came to the conclusion that it was the work of the soldiers, which they'd secretly nicknamed the Conjurers. Some of the people wanted to run them out of town, but others were too afraid of them and wanted to leave them alone."

Honey's breath quickened a little. "I'm guessing the majority wanted them to leave?"

"Yeah." Jim was solemn. "So the townspeople gathered into a mob with the purpose of running them out of town. The soldiers had set up camp in the woods by our place, and that's where the people went." He looked at her. "Here's where the story gets fuzzy, and where all those legends come into play." He hesitated. "I really don't know if I should tell you anymore. We both know you tend to internalize things. I don't want you having nightmares."

She wished she could scoff at him, at his words, but he was right. She did tend to take things to heart and think deeply upon them, and sometimes that left her vulnerable to vivid dreams and nightmares. Still, she wanted the story. "Tell me, Jim."

He gave her a dubious look, but proceeded. "The camp was quite large, and the townspeople that went spread out so they could force the soldiers into the middle of it. But the weird noises and lights started as soon as they approached the camp, and some of the people fled. The others became more determined than ever to run the men out of town. The woods filled with smoke, that according to the legends, was purple." He paused and shook his head. "It really seems ridiculous when I say all this out loud."

"Keep going," Honey instructed. She was more curious than she hoped she was letting on.

"There was a confrontation. The soldiers refused to go. They'd made Sleepyside their home, and they told the townspeople they could do whatever they wanted, since they were living in the woods. The purple smoke got thicker, and some of the people supposedly choked on it. According to the old town records, the argument escalated, and when all was said and done, most of the townspeople believed the soldiers, the Conjurers, had led them into a trap of some kind, a supernatural trap. They say the soldiers opened the gates of Hell, and spirited a number of the townspeople away into it." He sighed. "It's absolutely ridiculous, but there it is. That's why so many of the people here are afraid of those woods."

A shiver touched Honey between the shoulder blades and she fought to not let him see it. He would immediately say he shouldn't have told her anything. "Did the soldiers end up leaving?"

"Some of them did, and some of them stayed, but moved out of the woods. Some of their ancestors are here today still, and in surrounding areas." He shrugged. "That's why the old stories have never died out. And some of the people here really like to tell them around Halloween. In fact, some of them want to hold walks in our woods to bring more tourists in." He gave a snort. "Like we need that."

"So Sleepyside gets tourists anyway?"

"In October, yeah. People love this area, love the whole Headless Horseman thing, and our town legends just play into that." He frowned and looked harder at her. "Did I creep you out?"

She couldn't deny it. "A little. But that was a very, very long time ago. Why do people still insist on staying out of the woods?" _You know why. You were chased by something wicked out there. You've experienced it first-hand._ She shivered again and forced the mutinous thoughts away.

"Some of it's because it's the town's history. And some people like to tell stories. And some, like I said, are trying to drum up more tourist traffic." He studied her for several seconds. "You told me you followed a trail into the woods. That trail doesn't exist."

Honey nodded. "I know it doesn't – you showed me that night." And the reality of that proof was even scarier to her. Had something meant to lure her into the woods? And for what purpose? To scare her? _Why am I even thinking about this? It's ridiculous, just like Jim said. There's nothing scary out in those woods._ Still, the truth of what had happened to her out there wouldn't go away.

He sighed. "Well, anyway. There's the story behind the legends and myths. Like I said, Trix and I don't believe in them. They're just old stories. Every small town has old stories. Right? Come on. I need to make sure the plumbing is getting fixed." He didn't wait for her, but got out of the truck.

Honey forced back her thoughts of dark magic and evilness and followed him. After all, like Jim had just told her, they were just stories.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own Trixie Belden and Co. I'm just borrowing them to tell a story about Honey and Brian :-)

Sorry for the delay; I had chapter five written last Thursday, and then my flash drive took a nosedive. Needless to say, the chapter had to be rewritten, and this one is, in my opinion, the better version. Thank you all for the kind words and the encouragement. Have a blessed weekend.

SINISTER

CHAPTER FIVE:

Leaving Jim to talk things over with the plumber, Honey wandered up the hill that led to the administration building. A soft September breeze had been blowing all day, but she noticed it was turning a bit colder now in the late afternoon sun. The administration building sat on a hill with the rest of the campus spread out below it, and once she reached the top of the hill, she turned to survey the land. Beautiful old maple trees stood guard throughout the valley, and gentle showers of leaves fell to the ground as the breeze continued to grow stronger. It was a lovely place, and she realized with a start that she really could be happy here in Sleepyside. _But that isn't the plan. That was never my intention in coming here. I'm happy in the City._

"Who are you?"

The gruff voice startled her and she whirled around, eyes wide. "Madeleine Wheeler," she told the older man standing directly behind her. She saw his gray eyes narrow. Clearing her throat, nervous and not knowing why, she added, "I'm a friend of Jim Frayne's."

"So you've no business here, then," the man said. "Thought as much." He studied her.

"Are you one of the teachers?" she asked, ignoring his rude comment.

His gaze narrowed even more, and she thought his eyes were glinting with anger. "My name is Edward Creech, and I am an _educator_ here at the Academy." If his voice had been cool before, it was frosty now. "You best be on your way, miss."

Not known for having much of a temper, Honey _did_ have one, and usually she was able to keep it hidden. But now there was a tiny spark of it in her eyes as she said, "I'll be on my way when Jim is ready to leave."

Edward took a step closer to her, and in that step Honey found a smidgen of malice, causing her to take a step back. His eyes were full of caution and something darker. "It's not a safe place for a stranger to be, Miss Wheeler."

"Here at the school? You must have strangers all the time," she said, confused. "New students, parents of those students, that kind of thing."

He made a tsking sound, like she was just a child. "Not here at the school." He pointed to the woods past the school. "Out there, Miss Wheeler. In the woods." He frowned at her. "You must have heard our legends by now, haven't you? Or hasn't our dear Mr. Frayne told you anything about it?"

"He has," she said, nodding. "But what do you mean, I must've heard them by now?" She studied him just as he was studying her. "You don't know how long I've been in town."

A smile now, one edged with something wary. "Word gets around a small town, Miss Wheeler. I know how long you've been here, and I know you were in the woods. You had an experience there, didn't you?" His gray eyes glinted dark. "You know those stories are more truth than lies, now, don't you? But this is no place for a stranger, and I'd advise you be on your way out of Sleepyside, the sooner the better." He suddenly reached out and snagged her wrist, and she was too stunned to move. "Bad things can happen here, Miss Wheeler. Very, very bad things." And he let her go and proceeded to walk down the hill, leaving her staring after him with shivers dancing between her shoulder blades.

She took a couple of deep breaths and noticed that the breeze had become a full-fledged wind. It moaned through the tall trees dotting the campus and sent the leaves flying into the air where they swirled and danced until they hit the ground. Another shiver ripped through her, and she took another deep breath. It was ridiculous. Had that man really just threatened her? But why? She wasn't causing any harm here. She saw Jim waving to her and started down the hill, finding herself quite anxious to get off the campus and away from Mr. Edward Creech.

"Everything okay?" she asked as she climbed into Jim's truck.

"Everything is fixed," he told her and shut the door. When he got in on his side he asked, "You all right? You look like you just saw a ghost." His voice was firm as was the gaze he turned on her.

"I'm fine," she said, knowing it came out hurried. "I um, I ran into one of your _educators_ ," she told him.

A slight grin turned up his mouth. "Ah, Mr. Edward Creech. How did that go?"

"Fine," she said again. _Stop it. He's going to get suspicious._ "Has he worked here long?"

"He was the first teacher we hired," he said and put the truck into drive. "He's a good guy, but he can be intense. The boys really like him."

 _He probably tells them scary stories_ , she thought. "Oh, that's good."

"What's with you?" he asked. They turned out onto the road.

"Nothing's with me," she said.

He glanced at her. "C'mon, Hon. I know you. You're upset about something. Is it the story I told you?"

She thought about not telling him what Creech had said, but she didn't want to carry that around inside. "Well, I had an interesting conversation with Mr. Creech," she said, her tone cautious.

"What did he say?" he asked. His tone was neutral, but she saw the first tiny shimmer of anger in his green eyes when he glanced at her.

"He told me the woods aren't a safe place for strangers, and that I should leave Sleepyside right now. He also told me he knew how long I'd been here, and that I'd been out in the woods," she said. A shiver swept her shoulders, drawing Jim's attention, and she saw a snap of anger in his eyes.

"He shouldn't have said any of that to you," he said. He started slowing the truck down. "I'll got have a word with him."

"Jim, don't . Please. At least not now while I'm with you," she said, putting her hand on his forearm. "He was probably just trying to be funny or something."

"No, he wasn't." He glanced at her. "He's a good guy, like I said, but he believes all the old stories. He's one of the townspeople who wants to keep them alive."

"Really, Jim, it's okay," she said. "He didn't bother me."

"No? You look spooked to me," he said. But he didn't stop and turn around, and she breathed out a silent breath of relief. She didn't want to have to see Mr. Edward Creech ever again. His phone chirped and he answered, leaving her to her own thoughts for a few moments.

 _Why was he so adamant I leave? What did he mean by bad things happen? Did he mean like me getting chased by something?_ She vaguely wondered what would've happened if that something had caught her, and turned her gaze outside her window, not wanting Jim to see any emotions on her face. She was sure he'd see fear there, and she didn't want that. This was supposed to be a vacation for her, though it wasn't turning out that way. _And what has Dad so riled up? He was so adamant before about me coming back to the City, and now he wants me to stay here._ A small sigh escaped her lips. She wasn't sure what was going on with her father, and wasn't sure she even wanted to know.

"That was Trixie. I told her you were staying here with us instead of going back to the City," Jim said, setting his phone down on the seat between them. "And she said Di and Mart have invited all of us over for a cookout."

"Oh," she said. Her mind was still on the weird goings-on around the town and her father, and she really didn't register what Jim had said.

"Earth to Hon. I know you're in there somewhere," he teased. When she cast a little glare at him, he laughed. "Did you hear what I said? About the cookout?"

"I did," she said, nodding. "Who all will be there?"

"Me, Trix, you, Mart and Di, Dan if he can make it, and Brian." He smiled at her.

"What's that smile for?" she said. "You know we aren't going to get together. We're too different."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," he said, his smile now a grin. "Best to keep away from Trix tonight, then. She's likely to try and keep you and Brian near each other all night."

Honey huffed out a sigh. "We don't live in the same town, and I doubt he'd be interested in me, anyway."

"He called you in the middle of the night just to check on you," Jim reminded her.

"It wasn't in the middle of the night, and he was just being nice," she said. She turned her face toward her side window again, embarrassed at the conversation. "He must have a lot of women here chasing him."

"Not as many as you'd think," Jim said. "He's a good guy, Hon."

"I know that. But I didn't come here looking for a relationship. I have enough other things going on." Creepy things, things she didn't understand, but things nonetheless.

Jim didn't say anything to that, and she wasn't sure if she was grateful or upset that he didn't continue the conversation. They drove by his house and turned on the next road to the right. Soon they were pulling into the driveway of a cute house with yellow siding and blue shutters, and she saw the others all standing around outside. Her stomach twitched when she saw Brian wave their way, and she bit her lip hard. He was so damn handsome, and that smile! When Jim parked the truck, Brian walked over and opened her door for her.

"Hey, Honey," he said, with an easy smile. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. And yourself?" she asked, sliding down out of the truck. He shut the door and leaned against the side of it, watching her.

"I'm good, thanks." His voice was quiet and he seemed to be studying her, and all at once she wondered just what Jim had told Trixie, and what Trixie had passed on to the others. "Are you really sure you're okay? Trix said you had a run-in with Edward Creech." His voice hardened on the man's name.

"We just had a little chat," Honey said, not sure how much he knew and not sure how much she wanted to volunteer. _Trixie should've kept her mouth shut. I don't need everyone knowing what happened._ "Really, it's fine," she added when Brian's dark eyes narrowed into hard lines.

"He's cantankerous and he talks a lot about the old stories and legends," Brian told her. He straightened up and added, "Trixie only told me, just so you know."

Honey bit her lip and nodded, not really knowing what to say. Jim was already mad about what Edward had said, and she didn't need Brian and Trixie getting upset, too. Brian seemed to sense her discomfort and gave her a warm smile. "Come on. Mart just about has the burgers ready, and if we don't get back there, they'll be gone."

"Okay." She noticed then that everyone else had disappeared, and followed Brian around the back of the charming house. Two picnic tables were set up, and Mart was cheerfully manning the huge grill, an apron proclaiming "Grill Master of the Year" tied on over his clothes. Diana came over and hugged Honey.

"Oh, I'm so glad you could make it!" she said, her enthusiasm spilling over. "Mart makes the best burgers!" She smiled over her slim shoulder at her husband, who beamed back at her.

"I think I have to disagree with that," Trixie chimed in, throwing a cheeky grin at her blond older brother. "Jim's burgers are just divine."

Jim grinned and swept Trixie up in a hug, spinning her around in a circle. They were so obvious in their love for each other that Honey found she had to look away. She was happy for them, and for Diana and Mart too, but right not she couldn't seem to stand it. Diana let go of her and waved a hand toward the tables.

"Go ahead and sit anywhere, Madeleine. The food is just about done."

Honey nodded and sat down at the end of one of the two tables, and soon found Trixie's police officer friend sitting across from her. Dan smiled and said, his tone friendly enough, "They about make you sick, don't they?" He gestured toward Jim and Trixie.

Honey smiled. "They do sometimes," she said. "But it's nice to see him with someone who really loves him like that."

Dan let a small grin play across his mouth. "They'd like to see you with someone like that, too."

"Oh, don't I know it." She gave him a baleful look, making him laugh. The laugh drew Brian's attention away from Mart, and Honey noticed the quick slitting of Brian's dark eyes. It surprised her. It was even more surprising when Brian made his way over to them and sat down, right next to her. Dan's dark eyes glinted with suppressed laughter, and Honey blushed red.

"What's the matter, Doc? Afraid I'm making a move?" Dan teased, and Honey wished the ground would just open and swallow her right there.

"No, I'm afraid you're trying to make her uncomfortable," Brian retorted. Dan's laughter grew louder, and Honey bit her lip. She wasn't used to this, having two very good-looking guys bantering about her, and she wondered briefly if anyone would think it weird if she ran away.

"I'm sorry, Madeleine. I couldn't resist," Dan finally said. His face was red from laughing so hard. "Really, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she said, forcing a smile. But suddenly she wasn't comfortable here, and she wanted desperately to leave. Brian gave her a little nudge with his shoulder, and she turned her eyes to his, watching understanding deepen his eyes.

"Would you like to see Di's flower gardens? They're really amazing," he said.

She nodded yes immediately, grateful that he'd given her an out. She got up and followed Brian down a path leading out into the rest of the huge backyard. Flowers of every size and color mixed and mingled, and she stopped at several flower beds to ooh and ah and over them. Brian stayed quiet, only speaking if she asked a question. He seemed to innately sense that she'd been floundering and now needed some quiet time to regroup. It was extremely thoughtful, and again her mind betrayed her and whispered how nice it would be if he were her boyfriend.

The breeze that had died down once again kicked up, sending the branches of an old elm shaking and rattling, and she jumped sideways away from it, banging into Brian. He quickly steadied her, concern blooming across his face. "Are you really okay, Honey?" he asked, his voice low and soft. "Trixie told me what Creech said to you." Anger touched his voice.

She wanted to tell him she was fine, but she was already sick of saying it and knowing it wasn't true. Creech had spooked her, but good. "No, not really," she finally said, looking up at him. "Jim told me the story of the soldiers, and what the townspeople did." She paused for a moment, rubbing her arms as goosebumps broke out on them. "Mr. Creech told me he knew how long I'd been here, and that I'd been in the woods. He told me bad things happen here."

She could see him struggling to control the anger that rolled across his face. It surprised her that he'd be that upset, but it was nice to see it, too. For a long time, she hadn't really had anyone in her corner to get upset over her, to be protective of her. And she could see that protection in his dark eyes, and it made her stomach tingle and jump.

"He shouldn't have said that to you," he finally said. His voice was calm, but just.

"Jim said he likes to keep the old stories going," she said, her voice just above a whisper.

"Yeah, he does." He blew out a frustrated breath. "He's part of the local historical group, and they're the ones who want to use the woods to bring in more tourism."

"Does he want to do tours in the woods?"

"No." Brian shook his head. "No, he really thinks there's evil out there. Anything bad that happens in Sleepyside, it's always because of the Conjurers and the evil they left." He gave a soft snort. "Most of the townspeople here don't believe that, but a few do."

Honey shivered. The breeze was steady now, and colder. Brian pulled his dark blue hoodie off and handed it to her. "Here, you're freezing," he said, his voice gentle.

"Thank you." She tugged it on, immediately warmer and knowing it was only partly because of the sweatshirt. "I just don't understand why he felt it necessary to say anything to me. He seemed really suspicious of me."

"He's a naturally suspicious person," Brian told her. "He is a very good teacher, and the boys at the school all like him, but he's not overly popular in town." He looked over her head toward the others. "It looks like the food's done. We better get back."

"Okay." She started to walk back toward the others, but he reached out and gently caught her hand, halting her. She looked up at him.

"Don't be afraid of Creech, okay? He's a lot of talk, but he wouldn't do anything to scare you," he said, his voice reassuring. "And if he ever did, I hope that you would feel comfortable enough with me to tell me."

"I would," she said. "And thank you." She knew she was starting to blush again, and he let go of her hand after giving it a squeeze.

"Come on," he said, and led the way back to the others. Trixie was watching them close, and Honey heaved a mental sigh. They got food and sat back down, Brian right next to Honey with Trixie on her other side, and she tried to relax. Dan apologized yet again for teasing her, and she was able to graciously laugh it off. After all, they were trying to help her fit in, and she couldn't fault any of them for that.

A flash of lightning drew everyone's attention a half-hour later, and they quickly moved everything inside. Honey leaned against a counter in the large kitchen and watched Jim and Trixie, a soft smile on her face. The two were talking, standing close, Jim's red head bowed down against Trix's golden one, and Jim rested one large hand on the small of her back. It was an intimate picture, and one Honey ached suddenly to recreate with her special someone. But right now she had other things to attend to, and though she found Dr. Brian Belden immensely appealing, she didn't think anything would come of that.

Her phone beeped with an incoming text, and she pulled it from her back pocket and checked it. Her heart rate stabbed upward and she bit her lip hard to stem her gasp of surprise. Everyone was occupied, and she managed to slip outside into the back yard, where she immediately called the number.

"Hey, baby. That got your attention." Kyle Manning's voice was as husky as Honey had remembered. "Where are you?"

"Visiting Jim and his wife," she said. She walked toward the gardens, ignoring the light raindrops falling around her. "Why are you calling me?"

"Aw, now don't be like that, sweetie. I heard you'd had some trouble, and wanted to check on you."

She frowned. "I'm fine, Kyle. Really."

"You don't sound fine, and you didn't take more than a minute to call me after I texted you." There was suspicion in his voice. "Where are you?"

"Visiting Jim." She really didn't feel like revealing her exact location to him.

"Look, I get that you're still mad at me, but you know it wasn't working."

"How do you know? You didn't give us a real chance." She couldn't help her bitterness.

He huffed out a deep breath. "We weren't right for each other. I didn't want to hold you back."

She swore a little under her breath. "That's cowardly, and you know it. I was hampering your night life. Admit it."

Another huff of breath, this one full of irritation. "Look, I didn't text you just to get into a fight. I really just texted to make sure you're okay. I saw Isabel and she told me what was going on."

"It wasn't her right to do that." Honey knew she'd have to talk to Isabel about this. She didn't need all of their mutual friends knowing what was happening.

"Well, she did it anyway." He was silent for a few heartbeats. "When you come back to the City, wherever you are, maybe we could get a coffee and talk. Really talk."

"You don't like to talk. You made that _very_ clear the last time we saw each other." The old hurt and anguish was starting to rise up, filling her chest so much she was having a hard time breathing. "You left me, Kyle. You left everything. You can't fix that." And as much as she had loved him, she knew she didn't want him back. He was the sun in a galaxy of shimmering night stars, and it hurt too much to look at him. There was no way she'd fly that close again – she was still dealing with the old burns.

"Right. Well, then I guess there's nothing left to say, baby. I miss you, though. You should know that. I _want_ you to know that. Life's been dull without your gorgeous face." His voice sounded far away now.

It sounded nice, but she knew he only meant some of it. And some wasn't enough. Not anymore. What really hurt was that he'd been the one to leave, that she hadn't been able to leave him, to get away before the damage was done. "It's too late, and we both know it," she finally said, her voice low. "Don't text or call me again."

Silence met her words, and she waited until she couldn't wait anymore. She ended the call and put the phone back in her pocket as tears, unbidden and hot, slipped down her face. She wiped them away, angry that he'd been allowed to affect her like this. It had been four years ago since they'd parted ways, and she'd honestly thought she was done with him and the scars he'd left. How could he just text her like this? Out of the blue? How _dare_ he do this to her? It had started raining in earnest now, and thunder rumbled through the sky, menacing and low. She turned her face upward to it and let the rain wash over her, wishing it could forever erase the damage Kyle Manning had done.

"Honey."

She took a deep breath and turned her head. Brian was standing behind her, rain dripping down off his dark hair, concern shining in his dark eyes. He said nothing else, just watched her. She turned away, not able to deal with or take the compassion she found in his gaze. A hand settled on her shoulder, and tears filled her eyes. _No. You can't do this to Brian. He doesn't deserve to see you like this. Get it together._ He was too nice of a guy, too undamaged, to have to deal with her and her past hurts. She dashed a hand across her eyes, sucked in a deep breath, and stepped out from beneath his hand. Turning, she met his gaze with huge hazel eyes devoid of light and a wide smile that contained no warmth.

"I'm all right. I was just talking to an old friend," she said, the words rushing from her mouth like a torrent. "Really, Brian, I'm fine. You don't have to be concerned." She forced a laugh that wasn't humorous and started to walk by him.

"Stop." He stepped in her path and put his strong hands on her shoulder, giving them a gentle squeeze. When she wouldn't meet his eyes, he lifted her chin with one hand. He searched her eyes, and when he seemed to find what he was looking for, he simply pulled her into his arms and wrapped them around her.

She wanted to snuggle into his hold, to let him take the brunt of her emotional storm, but she couldn't. It just wasn't right, so she pulled back from him. He let her, but kept hold of her hand, as if wanting to somehow anchor her. "It's okay," she whispered, feeling to need to say something.

"It's not," he whispered back. "But that's all right. I want you to feel comfortable around me, and obviously your phone call upset you." He shook his head when she opened her mouth. "I just want you to know if you need to talk, or want to, I'm here, okay? I know we barely know each other, Honey, but I like you. I want to get to know you better. And whatever you're dealing with, _all_ of what you're dealing with, I'd like to help. Okay? When you're ready." He let go of her and took a step back. "I would like you to come back inside, though – it's chilly and you're getting soaked, and I don't want you to catch cold." His voice was soft but firm, and she finally nodded, unable to say anything in the face of his brave honesty.

They walked back to the house together, and as Honey stepped into the warmth and light, she couldn't help but feel that it somehow paled in comparison to the warmth and light she'd just been shown.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Trix and Co. Just borrowing them for some fun :-)

Thank you for the reviews so far. Hopefully this story isn't too far off the beaten path for you to enjoy :-)

SINISTER

CHAPTER SIX:

Honey settled into Jim's truck and closed the door, grateful to be away from everyone. No one had said anything when she'd followed Brian back inside, soaking wet and looking pale and upset, and for that, she would be forever thankful. The get-together had broken up quickly after that, by either general consent or some unspoken command Jim or Trixie, or possibly even Brian, had given. Now she hunkered down on the seat of the big truck and closed her eyes, and wished she'd never looked at the text, much less called Kyle. _Stupid, and I know better. It's been four years. What could he possibly have said to make anything better? Why did I think he'd try to make it better?_

Jim reached over and turned the heater up, glancing at her. He'd never been a big fan of Kyle's, and yet he'd always made an effort to try and get to know him, to understand what it was Honey saw in the man with the startlingly handsome face and shock of blond hair who lived life fast and with heated fervor. "What did he say?" Jim finally asked, his voice low and kind.

"Nothing of anything consequence," she told him. She couldn't help the bitterness. "It's nothing, Jim. Nothing at all."

"That why you've been crying?" Now the kindness bled into something darker and angrier. "I told you to stay away from him, Hon. He's poison."

" _He_ texted _me_ ," she said, her voice all kinds of hot.

"Yeah, and _you_ called _him_ ," he retorted, his fire matching hers. "Why? It's over between you two."

"You think I don't know that?" She turned incredulous eyes to him. "Really? You think I've been pining over him for four years?"

He sighed, a deep sound that only irritated her more. "No, that's not what I think. But I do think he texts you and you drop everything to call him. What's that all about? Remember how he hurt you?" Fury lashed through his voice.

Whatever Honey had been thinking of saying, she forced it away. Of course she remembered. She'd been in serious emotional pain for far too long after the fireworks had dwindled down to embers and ashes. "I know, Jim. I'll never forget," she whispered.

He made a frustrated sound and reached over to cover one of her shaking frozen hands with his much larger and warmer one. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so upset. But damn it, Hon, I don't want that guy anywhere near you, and that includes even talking to you." He shook his head. "You know Trixie wanted to call him and tell him off?" He chuckled, though it sounded forced.

"She doesn't even know him," Honey said.

"Doesn't matter. He hurt you, Honey. She doesn't take that kind of thing lying down. You know that." His voice had softened. "If I ever see him again…" He didn't have to finish it. Honey sighed.

"I know. It was stupid to call him. I just, I needed to hear his voice. More than that, I needed to know I'm stronger than the last time I saw him, you know? I needed to know I could say no to him and mean it."

"And did you?" He looked at her. "Mean it?"

She gave an emphatic nod. "I meant it." And in this, at least, she could be proud. So maybe she'd needed to hear his voice, had _wanted_ to hear it, but she had also hung up on him after telling him never to call again.

"Good." He seemed satisfied with that answer. He touched her arm. "Brian's sweatshirt." No question.

"Yes." She didn't want to talk about the sweatshirt, or its rightful owner. Brian's kind words had put her into a bit of a tailspin. His admission that he liked her, and wanted to not only get to know her better but be there to help her with whatever she needed, was almost too much to take. She was raw from her conversation with Kyle and all those buried feelings it had let loose, and she couldn't bear to think about starting anything with Brian. Not right then. Maybe not for a long time.

Trixie had beaten them back to the farm house, and she was waiting with a mug of cocoa and a warm hug for Honey when she and Jim walked in. Honey let her friend hug her and murmur that everything would be all right, already knowing it couldn't possibly be at all right. She wanted nothing more than to cocoon herself in a bundle of blankets and sleep for a really long time, but she didn't think sleep would be coming anytime soon.

"Nice sweatshirt," Trixie said, a small grin on her face.

"Thanks," Honey said, refusing to take the bait. She was too tired.

Trixie's grin bled away and she gave a sharp nod, as if making a decision only she knew about. "Come on," she said, taking Honey's hand. "We need to cuddle up and watch a good movie." She threw a look toward Jim.

"Absolutely," he said. "I'll make the popcorn."

Honey didn't even try to disagree. She knew there would be no changing either of their minds at this point, and the thought of cuddling up with a big thick quilt did sound appealing. She pulled off Brian's soaked sweatshirt and hung it on the back of a chair before allowing Trixie to lead her into the living room. Both women plopped down on the couch, and Trixie turned to face Honey.

"Okay, I want you to be straight with me, Honey," she said. Her face was devoid of any smiles, of any emotion really, and her eyes were crystals of bright blue, focused and intense. "I want to know what happened with you and Kyle."

Honey sucked in a hard breath. She hadn't expected Trixie to hit her with this, not now, not when it was obvious she was in pain. "I'm not sure I want to talk about him right now," she said.

"You need to," Trixie said. "Jim will only tell me so much, and—"

"Maybe that's all you need to know," Honey snapped and got up, shaking her head when Trixie started to speak. "Look, Trix, I'm not ready to talk to anyone about him, and even when I am ready, I'm not sure I will. It was a long time ago, and it was horribly complicated." She turned away. "I'm going upstairs, and I'd like to be left alone for the rest of the night."

"Honey, wait," Trixie said, coming after her. "Look, I'm sorry. I know it's a sore spot, but I really think you need to talk it through with someone."

"And I don't," Honey shot back. She started up the stairs. "Please, Trix, just leave it alone." She had other things going on and didn't want to dwell on her old boyfriend who had wounded her so deeply she still hadn't fully healed in four years.

"Trix," Jim called, and Honey heard them talking. She hurried the rest of the way up the stairs. Going into her temporary room, she closed the door and sat down on the bed.

 _I should never have called him. I should've known better. Why didn't I know better?_ She flopped backwards on the bed and let out a moan. It was stupid. He should hold no power over her anymore. _You know why he has power,_ her mind whispered. She shook her head, not wanting to hear it. Not now. Not ever again. Still, there'd always been a magnetic pull toward him, one she'd never been able to deny or even stop. It was why he'd had to leave her, and not the other way around. She hadn't been strong enough then, but she'd found strength today in ending the call. _And I can't ever let him get that power again. I have to close that door._ It was easier said than done, now that he'd made contact again.

There was a timid knock on her door, and she called out, "It's open." The door swung open and Trixie stuck her head in.

"Hey," she said, a tiny smile on her face. "I brought popcorn and Coke."

Honey smiled back. "Okay, as long as you don't poke and pry. I'm not one of your cases."

"Deal." Trixie walked in and kicked the door closed. She set the big bowl of popcorn down on the bed and handed Honey a can of pop. "So…how are you? Jim said your dad told you to stay here with us."

"He did. I don't know why, when he was so gung-ho about me coming back to the City," Honey said, shrugging. She popped the top on the can and took a long swallow. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"I would say I'm sorry I pried, but I'm really not," Trix said. Her grin took away the sting of the words, though. "I'm just concerned for you. I know he was a jerk."

Honey ate some popcorn, considering what Trix had said. "It's not that he was a total jerk, Trix. That's not really it at all."

"So what was he, then? Jim certainly doesn't like him."

"No, he doesn't." She sighed. "He's an artist, too, and a really, really good one. His work is being shown over in Europe right now." She sipped from her can. "He's just…" Searching for the right word to describe Kyle was difficult. "He's like a magnet, Trix. You just get drawn to him. He's irresistible, to the right people. I knew he wasn't good for me, but it was like I couldn't stay away." And that's exactly how it had been, and she still wasn't sure why. "It only ended when he broke up with me. He just said he was done, kissed my cheek, and left me standing under the Eiffel Tower."

Trixie's jaw dropped and she just stared at Honey for several seconds. "Seriously. The Eiffel Tower. In _Paris_ , like the most romantic city of all."

"Seriously. Paris." Honey gave a solemn nod. She hesitated to say anything else, because she wasn't sure she wanted to open all this up, yet she also knew Trixie would want to know the whole story now. And maybe it wouldn't be so bad to talk it out. "I'll tell you everything, Trix, or most everything, but you have to promise you'll never say anything to Brian or any of the others. Promise me."

"I promise." Trixie's response was immediate.

"Okay," Honey said, nodding. She bit her lip and met Trix's gaze. "Promise me that no matter what you learn, you aren't going to hate me."

Trix frowned. "Honey, there is no way on God's green Earth, or on any place, that I would _ever_ hate you. Now, spill it, woman."

"Here goes," Honey breathed. "Kyle is two years older than me. We met when I was twenty-two, and he was showing off some of his work at a gallery I really admire. I guess we caught each other's eye, and he asked me out for coffee after the show ended that night." Honey closed her eyes, envisioning that first date that hadn't ended until four in the morning, and how even then, she'd despaired to part from him. "I fell hard, Trix, and fast. So fast. Jim was instantly wary of Kyle."

"As I can imagine he would be," Trixie said. "Go on."

"He and I became inseparable. We went everywhere, and did everything, together. I was always afraid that somehow I'd lose him to someone or something else. He's good-looking, but it was so much more than that. His parents are extremely wealthy, really old money, and live in London. We visited them several times while we were together, and they were so nice to me. And the places we went." Honey couldn't help but think of those times with fondness. "I mean, I've traveled a lot overseas, but with Kyle, everything was so much more mesmerizing and exciting. It was a whirlwind."

"So what happened?"

Honey sighed. "I wasn't enough for him. I'd always had that suspicion, that at some point in our relationship, the shine would wear off me and he'd be gone, but at the same time, I kept hoping that wouldn't come true. And for a while, I was enough." She had to stop and swallow back the bothersome tears that kept crowding up her throat. "We were in Paris, like I said, and he seemed distant, drawn away by something else. I asked if he was okay, and he said how could he not be, when he was in the City of Lights with his girl." Honey let out a long sigh. "I really should've known something was off when he said that, but he talked like that all the time. He was always into grand gestures and speeches."

"Sounds like a hardcore romantic," Trixie said.

"He was, really. But that hardcore romantic was also easily distracted."

"Another woman?" A vein of anger ran through Trixie's voice.

"No, actually, and that was the killer." Honey sipped her pop. "He's always surrounded by people, always. They're drawn to him, like I said. And he was never worried about being lonely. He was only ever worried about being bored with life. And on that particular day, for whatever reason, he found me boring and unentertaining." She sighed and took a handful of popcorn. "We were at the Eiffel Tower, and it was romantic and a beautiful October day. I was having the time of my life, Trix. And I thought he was too. But then he looked me in the eye, said he was done with me, kissed my cheek, and left me standing there stunned and alone, and afraid." Tears trailed down her cheek. "I knew I should've seen it coming. After all, we'd lasted two years, which was longer than he'd been with anyone else. But I guess I didn't _want_ to see it coming, not then, not under that damned Tower."

"What happened then?" Trixie asked, her voice soft.

"I stayed at the Tower until it started to rain, and even then, five hours after he'd left me, I was still loathe to go. I thought there might be a chance he'd come back to me." She laughed, though it was forced. "I was so delusional, Trix. And I had no idea what to do. I was lost, totally and completely. For two years, I'd let him guide everything in my life, from my work to my social life, to—well, everything," she said, shaking her head. "It was a complete loss for me."

"What did you do? I mean, did you come home right away?"

"No. I couldn't face anyone after that. I tried to get in touch with Kyle, but he wasn't answering any of my calls or texts or anything, and I was so completely lost that I basically sat in my hotel room and cried for a week." Honey swallowed hard and wiped at her eyes. "Jim managed to get me to talk to him, and he threatened to fly to Paris and come get me himself, so I went home, just because I didn't want him to do that. But I really don't know when I would've went home, if Jim hadn't of forced my hand."

Trixie wrapped an arm around Honey's shoulders and pulled her close. "It sounds like he's a total loser, Honey. I mean it. No guy worth anything would leave his girlfriend beneath the Eiffel Tower and just walk away. _No guy_."

Honey had heard all this before, but it had never seemed to sink in. She still, not even at this very second, could believe that Kyle had just left her there, on her own. It stung that he hadn't loved her enough, or even _cared_ enough, to at least leave her at their hotel, or in a cab, or anywhere but where he had. Trixie gave her a squeeze.

"Really, Honey, he's at fault here, not you. You should know that." Trixie put some popcorn in her mouth and chewed slowly. "I'm surprised Jim never went off on him."

"He would've had to track Kyle down first," Honey said, her voice soft. "I haven't seen him in three years. The last time I saw him, he didn't want to talk about anything. We saw each other at an art show, and he acted like he'd never been close to me." She bit her lip hard to try and keep more tears from falling. "It hurt so bad, Trix. And I was stupid enough to think that maybe I could jump-start the relationship again, get him to talk to me about what went wrong." She sighed. "But I know what went wrong. I became something boring to him, something that no longer had any appeal. He'd figured me out, and found me lacking somehow."

Trixie set the popcorn bowl aside and turned to face Honey. She reached out and wiped the tears away that continued to fall, despite Honey's valiant efforts. "You aren't lacking in anything, Honey. _Nothing._ He's the one who's lacking something. A lot of somethings, if you ask me. He's lacking love, loyalty, honor, respect—" When Honey stood up, Trixie added, "I know he hurt you badly, but he's not worth dwelling on."

"It's just not that easy, Trix. I wish it was." Honey rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "No one had ever treated me the way he did. I mean, before the Tower incident. I'd never felt so special, like the sun was shining just for _me_. And then to have that disappear, in one frightening second, I couldn't cope, Trix. And that was the truly scary part, that I'd let him have that much control over me and my life that I couldn't function without him. I barely made it home from Paris by myself." Even now, the hurt and anger and downright _fury_ over what Kyle Manning had done to her threatened to overwhelm her. "I'm sorry, Trix, but I need to be alone."

"No, I don't think you do," Trixie said. "You're upset, and you need to keep talking it out."

Honey gritted her teeth, suddenly annoyed that she'd let Trixie in this much, had let her see so much of her pain and rawness. "Go, Trix. Don't make me beg."

Trixie's eyes glinted with tears and she walked slowly to the door. "I'm not upset with you, Honey. I know you thought I would be, but I'm not. I just wish you could see how amazing you are, and let go of the past." When Honey refused to say anything else, Trixie left, and Honey was quick to shut the door.

She knew Trixie was probably right, that talking it all out would help, but right now she couldn't do that. She couldn't think of doing that, of talking anymore about Kyle. _I hope Trix takes me seriously and doesn't send Jim up here. There's nothing new he can say, and I don't want to see him again tonight._ Maybe it had been a mistake to ever come here. Trixie was hurting now, and that meant Jim would be too, and it was all because she couldn't deal with her past and the man who'd once lifted and then crushed her spirit so definitely. _Maybe I should just go tonight, once they're asleep. I doubt they'd hear me, and I could be back in the City in a few hours. Then I can find Isabel and tell her to stop talking about me and my problems to everyone, and I can find Dad and talk to him about what's going on._ It sounded like a good, rational plan, but she wasn't sure if she was brave enough to go through with it.

Sleep didn't want to come, and finally, after a few hours, she got up and walked to the window. She'd since given up on leaving, because it was a coward's move, and she wasn't doing anything to remind her of what Kyle had done to her. As she looked down the road, toward the trail that didn't exist, she thought she saw a ball of light. Squinting, she leaned her forehead against the cool pane of glass and saw what appeared to be several balls of orange light weaving up and down the road. _Odd. And kind of cool._ She debated with herself whether or not she should go out there and give things a closer look, and decided she really didn't have anything to lose. After all, it wasn't like she was going into the woods this time. So she got dressed, snuck down the stairs and out the back door, and ran through the wet grass to the road.

The lights were still there, bobbing and weaving like small glowing beach balls, and fascinated, she stood and watched them. It was chilly, and she was grateful for the sweater she'd put on over her T shirt. The trees swayed in the brisk wind, and shudders rippled up and down her body. Daring to move closer to the balls of light, she remembered reading somewhere about these kinds of lights being spirits or souls of the dead, and even though that freaked her out some, she found she was still drawn to them. Every time she reached to touch one, it would bounce out of reach, and more perplexed than frightened, she followed them until she realized she was in the woods.

 _How did this happen? I didn't plan to go into the woods._ She turned to head back to the road when a keen wailing filled the air, and she stopped, completely rooted to the ground. _It's an animal, that's all it is. That's all it can be._ But she knew better, knew there were plenty of other things it could be, and her heart pounded as she listened to the eerie noise. It fell away a minute or so later, and she took a deep breath, now more determined to get out of the woods. With every step she took, though, disorientation set in. How had she gotten out of the woods before? Where was the trail? Had there ever been a trail? _Come on, Wheeler, keep it together. You can do this. All you have to do is find the road._ This was easier thought than done, though, she soon discovered. The road had all but disappeared from view, and she couldn't see past the thick clumps of bushes and the trunks of the huge trees. She wanted to run and didn't, clinging to whatever bravery she had left.

Something cold touched the back of her neck, and she whirled around, fully prepared to fight off whatever foe was there. But her eyes, wide with fright, saw nothing but the black air, the tree branches looming over her like giant gnarled fingers. Gulping down a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. She was getting out of here, right now. When she stepped forward, however, the ground gave way and she stumbled, swearing under her breath as she felt her ankle give way a little. No, it was fine, she was all right. She could keep going. The stench of dirty water assaulted her nose, and she discovered she was in the swamp area. That was okay. There had to be a way out of here, didn't there? Another step and this time she sank to her knee in cold, sucking black mud. The word "help" slipped from her mouth as she jerked her leg free and backtracked onto sturdier land.

This was getting out of hand, and as she turned to try and find her way back to the road, she felt another cold touch. Jerking away from it, she started running, not able to hold back her intense desire to flee any longer. _I have to get out of here. I have to. There has to be a way. Why can't I find my way? Someone, please, help me!_ Every turn and twist she took only seemed to lead her deeper into the woods, and the stories Jim had told her ricocheted around her mind. Were there still spirits here, haunting these woods? Why were they after her? What did they want?

She finally burst out of the woods and fell to her knees, sobbing and heaving for breath. It was raining, but she was grateful for it, because it meant she was out of the trees. They'd been so numerous in the woods she hadn't been able to feel the rain. After catching her breath and quieting the hysteria that burbled up inside, she got to her feet and walked to the road. But Jim's house was no longer in sight, and she wondered just where she was now. The woods looked so peaceful in the rain, but she knew better. She'd known better that very first time in them, and yet had still been drawn to them. Drawn, just like she'd been to Kyle's magnetism. Weary and still frightened, she began walking down the side of the road, casting suspicious looks to her right at the woods. _Jim and Trixie will kill me if they find out I was in the woods again. I promised I'd stay out of them._ Still, she wasn't entirely sure it was her fault. The lights had kept her so mesmerized that she hadn't known she was in the woods, and by then, it was too late. She'd been lost again.

If only Kyle hadn't texted her, she wouldn't have been too upset to sleep. She sighed as she trudged along. It was juvenile to blame her long-gone ex for this, but there it was. The rain was harder now, and she bowed her head against it, praying she wasn't going to catch a cold. Something shone in the distance, and she saw a pair of headlights turn onto the road toward her. Frozen for a moment, she tried to decide what to do. She likely wouldn't know the person driving, and she didn't want to have to trust anyone she didn't know. Not tonight. But did she dare hide in the ditch and let the vehicle go past? She had no idea where she was, and the storm was getting worse.

She didn't end up having to decide – the driver did it for her. The Jeep slowed and stopped, and when the window rolled down, she found herself facing Edward Creech. He squinted through the downpour at her, and she stifled a cry of distress at having to deal with him again. He'd made it very clear he thought she should leave Sleepyside.

"Miss Wheeler? What are you doing way out here?" he asked, and she moved closer to the vehicle.

"Um…" What did she say? Would he believe her about getting lost in the woods?

"You been in the woods again, haven't you? Silly woman." He let out a loud sigh. "Well, get in. You're soaked and going to catch the death. Come along."

She hesitated for only a moment, and got in on the passenger side. It was warm and smelled of cigar smoke, and she burrowed down against the leather seat. He glanced at her as he continued driving. Hoping he wasn't going to ask any questions, she turned her face toward the passenger side window to avoid looking at him.

"I warned you about those woods," he said.

 _Well, that didn't take long._ "I know," she said. "I didn't mean to go in them."

He slammed on the brakes. "What do you mean, didn't mean to? Then why did you?"

She glanced at him, and found his gaze unsettling. "I saw some bouncing balls of light, out on the road. I guess I followed them into the woods."

"You guess?" He heaved another heavy sigh. "Miss Wheeler, there is no guessing. You saw something you couldn't explain, and you followed it like a child." He started the Jeep down the road again.

"I'm not a child," she snapped. "Please drop me off at Jim's house." Who did he think he was?

"They were there to draw you to the woods," he told her. "To seduce you. And so they did."

"They didn't seduce me," she said, shaking her head.

"What do you call it, then?" he asked, glancing at her. He turned right at the T in the road and kept driving.

"I don't know." She was too tired and upset to think things through rationally, as she normally would. "Why are you out so late at night?"

"Just driving." His voice was curt. He made another right. "The Frayne home is just down this road."

"Good." She was hoping to sneak in and get into bed without waking up Jim or Trixie.

They pulled into Jim's drive, and Edward put the Jeep in park and looked at her. "Make no mistake, Miss Wheeler. Those balls of light you saw were there to draw you into the woods. That's how the spirits work."

"There aren't any spirits out there, Mr. Creech. Those are just old stories." She opened the door. "Thank you for the ride."

He reached out and grabbed her arm, his grip tight. When she turned astonished eyes toward him, he said, "You'd do well to believe in them, Miss Wheeler. They seem to be drawn to you just as you are to them." He let go and motioned toward the house. "Go on."

She wanted to say something but her mouth was dry, and she got out of the vehicle and walked toward the house, hoping against hope that the other two occupants wouldn't hear her. Thankful she'd remembered to leave the door unlocked, she snuck in the back door and started for the stairs.

"Going somewhere?"

Honey sucked in a breath and turned her head. Jim and Trixie stood there watching her, and neither one of them looked happy.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own Trixie Belden and Co.

Sorry for the longer delay - I have been busier and haven't had as much time for writing. And because I want this story to be good, I want to take my time with it and not rush it.

SINISTER

CHAPTER SEVEN:

Honey sat at the kitchen table, her head propped up on her fist. Jim sat directly across from her, his green eyes narrowed into slits that she supposed were supposed to look intimidating. All it did was make her more tired. Trixie set a cup of tea in front of her and nodded. "Okay, Honey, let's have it." Her tone was firm and while not unkind, was certainly not friendly, either.

She didn't want to tell them what she'd been doing, or who had brought her home. Why couldn't she just keep this all to herself? Why did they have to know everything? "It's nothing," she said.

"Try again," Jim ordered.

She scowled at him. "Look, I went for a walk, okay? That's not a crime."

"No, but you coming home in the middle of the night looking like you've seen a ghost might be," he countered. He huffed out a deep sigh. "Tell us what happened, Hon."

But she didn't want to. How could she tell them about the bouncing lights? That she'd been so into them that she hadn't noticed she was in the woods? She picked up her tea cup and sipped, trying to figure out just how much she should tell them. Her conviction to keep things to herself wasn't easy to maintain; she often felt she shouldn't keep things back from her best friends and family. But she also didn't want Jim and Trix thinking she was crazy, either. "I just went for a walk, nothing else. I was upset with Kyle for calling me," she finally said.

Jim's eyes flickered with anger and he exchanged a look with Trixie. Trixie reached out to touch Honey's hand. "I'm sorry I made you tell me all about him. I didn't expect it to upset you that much," Trixie ventured. "I mean, it was four years ago."

"And you think I don't know that?" Honey inhaled a sharp breath and took another sip on her lemon tea. "I didn't think I'd wake you up."

"Are you sure nothing happened out there? Someone dropped you off," Jim said.

Honey expelled a breath. "It's nothing, Jim. It was just a walk at four in the morning. Nothing else." She sat back from the table. "Am I excused now?"

Again her hosts exchanged a look. Trixie took a breath. "At the risk of really annoying you, I think more happened out there than you want to tell us about. But you know we care about you."

"So you want me to tell you more?" Honey shook her head. This time, she was keeping things close to the chest. "Sorry. I'm done talking." She got up and pushed her chair in. "See you in the morning."

"It _is_ morning," Jim argued. "And I think—"

"No, Jim." Honey met his gaze. "We're done." She held his gaze for several seconds and turned and walked away. There would be no more talking; she wasn't going to give away anything else. It hadn't worked out that well for her so far, so she'd try to keep things to herself. _Bouncing, glowing lights. Yeah, they'd buy that. Uh huh._ She climbed the stairs to the sunflower room, shut the door, and slid into bed, not bothering to get undressed. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to sleep.

But she did doze off, somewhere between five and six, and awoke at ten. Groggy, and feeling dirty, she grabbed some clean clothes and took a quick, hot shower. Trixie and Jim were both gone when she went downstairs, and she saw that they'd both headed into work from the note they left on the table. With a sigh, she set about making some tea and grabbed an apple to go eat on the porch. In the light of day, nothing about the woods to the right of the porch seemed at all frightening, but she couldn't help but feel there was wickedness in them.

An hour later, she had checked in with Isabel and found out that not much else had happened, and she'd left a voice mail for her father. She figured he'd call her back later that night, after he'd finished his rounds of meetings. _I wonder what happened that made him tell me to stay here?_ Nothing that she knew of had ever spooked Matthew Wheeler into changing his plans. Getting out of the chair she'd been sitting in, she paced the length of the porch, often glancing toward the woods. She couldn't help it; there was definitely something drawing her to them, as Edward Creech had said the night before. And why had he been out so late?

She needed to do something. Anything. Did she dare take a walk into those woods again? _I can take my phone, just in case._ There was too much pent-up energy racing through her to just sit here. It was Friday, so she knew the rest of the weekend she'd have Trixie and Jim around. If she was going to try the woods again, and try to make something out of what had happened to her there, it had to be today. With determination sparking in her hazel eyes, she got off the porch and started across the yard. It wasn't until she stood at the edge of the woods that she paused, a tremor sweeping through her.

A smoky haze was drifting on the breeze, and it smelled of wood smoke and tobacco. She inhaled gently, and was suddenly compelled to go into the woods. The smoke was a soft lavender color, and it seemed to form a trail through the old trees. She followed, bent on finding out where it was coming from. It did occur to her that Jim and Trix would think she was insane, and maybe she was, but, damn it, she was tired of this. Tired of not knowing why she was so creeped out in the woods, when not everyone apparently felt that way. And she was so very tired of not doing anything, of feeling like she was at a stalemate in her life. Her father had always told her that she needed to be in control of her life, and for so long, she hadn't felt like she was. Not anymore.

She was almost to the woods when a car honked its horn, scaring her. She spun around and saw a blue and white police car. As she watched, inhaling deep to calm her heart rate, Dan got out of the car and walked over to her, his face a stern mask of determination.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Going for a walk," she said.

"Not in there, you're not," he told her. He jerked his head toward the car. "Come on."

She took a step back from him, shaking her head. "Sorry, you don't get to tell me what to do." She expected backlash from him, but instead, his dark eyes suddenly sparked with laughter.

"You like being scared, don't you?" he asked, and pointed at the woods. "I heard you took an early morning walk through them. Heard someone had to bring you home." The laughter was gone now, and his voice was hard. "You're a nice woman. You shouldn't be traipsing around out there."

"Because they're haunted or something? Look, I appreciated your concern. Really, I do. But if I want to take a walk in the woods, I will." She held her head high, and there was a shimmer of defiance in her pretty hazel eyes. Dan's eyes narrowed a little, and he let out a sigh.

"You are stubborn, aren't you?" He seemed to say it more to himself than to her, and she bit her lip and started to turn away. But he said, "There's only trouble in the woods, Madeleine. That's all you're going to find out there."

"Why?" She turned back to face him and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why should there be trouble? Even if all those old stories were true at some point, those men left. The Conjurers don't exist anymore."

He ran a hand through his hair and murmured something to himself before finally meeting her gaze and saying, "That what you think? That those stories aren't true anymore? That the danger doesn't exist?"

"Of course they aren't true now. The men moved away, or the ones who stayed passed away." A sudden thought struck her, and she inhaled a sharp little breath. "Their descendants, do they still live around here?" The question was little more than a whisper.

Dan stepped closer to her. "Now you're on the right track," he said. "The evil the Conjurers brought with them still exists here. Don't think for a second it doesn't. Never let your guard down in this town, Madeleine. Not ever."

"How do you know so much?" His nearness was unnerving her, and she took a step back, out of his reach.

He flashed a cold grin. "You don't have to be afraid of me. But I will say there are certain people here in Sleepyside you'd better watch out for." He turned to go, and added, "Don't go in the woods, Madeleine."

She was too stunned to say anything else, and watched as he got to his car, threw her a wave, got in and drove away. Her heart was pounding, and she turned to look at the woods. They seemed so innocuous, so calm. And the hazy smoke had disappeared. Had it been there in the first place? _Did I just imagine that? Why didn't Dan tell me why he knew so much? Is he a descendant of the Conjurers?_ That last thought sent a horrid chill through her, and she wrapped her arms around her torso. The breeze had changed into a stiff wind, and she took a deep breath. Despite what Dan had told her, she needed to take action. There might very well be trouble in the woods, but she needed answers, and the woods seemed a good place to start.

Her phone chirped and she looked at the screen, a slight smile breaking across her face as she answered. "Hello."

"Hi," Brian said, his voice warm and deep. "I wondered if you wanted to have lunch today."

"Um, sure," she said.

There was a pause. "If you're busy, we can do it some other time."

"No, it's not that." She bit her lip. "Lunch sounds great. Where?"

"Well, if you're tired of the café, there's a great burger place called Wimpy's. They're open." Some of the warmth came back into his voice.

"Sure, that sounds good," she told him. "Can you give me a half-hour?"

"Absolutely. Wimpy's is off the main drag by one street," he said. It sounded like the sun in his voice. "See you soon."

"Okay, see you," she said and hung up. She sighed. It was probably providence, keeping her out of the woods since she was alone, but she needed, _wanted_ to know just exactly what was going on, and somehow, she thought it could be cleared up out there in the woods. She turned away and started walking toward Jim and Trix's. Meeting Brian for lunch would be a nice distraction, but one she still didn't think she should be thinking about too much. If Kyle's call had proved anything to her, it was that she really wasn't good with relationships, apparently. What if she did start something with Brian, and he also got bored with her? _As if I need a headache like that. Hmph._ She went into the house to grab her purse and keys, and locked the door behind her, making sure she had the house key Trixie had given her the first night she'd arrived.

It wasn't hard to find Wimpy's, and she parked her SUV and got out. A group of young men were coming down the sidewalk her way, and she watched them pass by. One of them looked at her, and she shuddered. He'd been at the café, harassing Casey earlier that week. He grinned at her, but there was something unusually icy in his smile, and Honey looked away immediately. She stepped up onto the sidewalk to start toward the burger joint and found herself halted by him standing in her path.

"You're new here, aren't you?" he asked. He waved the others on, and focused on her.

"Just visiting friends," she said. She took a half-step to the left. He matched her. His deep blue eyes glittered with something more than just curiosity.

"New people here can get into trouble. I'd say my goodbyes, and get out of town," he said.

A chill danced down her spine, but she held her ground. "I've heard the old stories. They're not that scary," she said, making sure to keep eye contact.

He let a small smile play along the corners of his mouth. "Oh, yeah? I'd be careful, if I were you, Madeleine." When her jaw slackened, he added, "Or should I say Honey?" He turned to go, and added, "Be careful. You're a beautiful woman. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

Before she could get her senses back together, he'd walked across the street and gotten into a pickup truck. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her racing heart. _How did he know who I was? How did he know my nickname? Who told him all that stuff?_ She took a few more deep breaths, and started toward the burger place. Everything seemed to be getting weirder, and her curiosity was growing. But how did she find out more about what had happened all those years ago, without drawing suspicion from anyone? _Maybe at the library they'd have old newspapers or something. I'm too interested now to not find out what's going on._ And this "mystery" was helping take her mind off what had happened in New York at the gallery, and what was going on with her father. She needed this.

"Hi."

She jumped and would've stumbled but for the strong hand that shot out and took gentle but firm hold of her upper arm, steadying her. She turned, already knowing who it would be and blushing fiercely. "Thank you," she breathed out, looking up into Brian's concerned, but also slightly amused, dark eyes.

"You're welcome," he said, chuckling. "Everything okay?"

"I think so," she said, but thought better of it. She didn't want to lie to him, and he might prove to be an ally in her quest for more knowledge about the town's dark past. "Actually, something happened. A couple of somethings, really."

He frowned a little and reached past her, opening the door to the burger place for her. "Let's order and you can tell me what's happened," he said. She nodded and led the way over to a cozy booth toward the back of the restaurant. A young man was instantly at their booth, his blue eyes looking Honey up and down several times. She studiously avoided his gaze after his first pass down her.

"Ready to order?" he asked.

"We just sat down, Jason," Brian said, and he didn't sound amused. "Give us a few minutes."

"Whatever," Jason said and sauntered away, casting one more glance at Honey.

She huffed out an exasperated breath and murmured, "Men."

"What?" Brian leaned toward her over the table.

"Um, nothing." She made a dismissive gesture with her right hand, suddenly nervous with his intense eyes locked on her. "So, what's good here?"

"Pretty much everything. I personally like the olive burger."

She gave a shake of her head at once. "Ooh, no, not for me, sorry."

He chuckled. "Yeah, somehow I didn't think you would like them."

"Really?" She glanced at him.

"No, you don't strike me as the kind of girl who would eat olives or mushrooms," he said, that amused glint in his eyes again.

"You're right about the olives, anyway," she said, grinning. "I think I'll try the mushroom burger, actually." She set her menu down, and immediately Jason approached again, despite the look Brian gave him.

"All set now?" Jason asked and took the menus. "What'll it be, sweetheart?"

Honey bit her lip and hoped she wasn't blushing. She wasn't used to attention like this, and it flustered her. "Um, the mushroom burger, and a Coke," she said.

"Gotcha. And you, Doc? The usual?"

"Yes." Brian gave him a pointed look, and Jason turned and left, the menus tucked under his arm. "So." Brian gestured to Honey. "What happened?"

She bit her lip and tried to collect her thoughts. "If I tell you something, you have to swear not to laugh at me, or tell Jim and Trixie about it." She looked up and met his gaze, and hoped that he would be willing to do those things.

"Is it something dangerous?" he asked. His eyes narrowed just a titch.

"Well…maybe," she finally conceded. "But I'm okay now. Please?"

He studied her for several moments before finally nodding. "All right, let's have it."

"I was upset last night after my call with Kyle and—" She paused and shook her head. "You know that already. Anyway, I couldn't sleep and I noticed what looked like bouncing balls of light, out in the road, by the woods." She left out the argument with Trixie, deciding he didn't need to know about all that. "And, well, I went to investigate."

Brian let out a quietly deep breath. "Alone? Honey, I told you the woods are dangerous, especially at night."

"I know. Everyone keeps telling me that," she said, her tone cross. "So, I went to where the lights were, and somehow, I ended up in the woods." She bit her lip when Brian's eyes narrowed into slits. "It was okay, really, nothing happened," she rushed to assure him.

"What do you mean you 'somehow' ended up in the woods? How did that happen?" he asked. His voice was quiet, his tone even, but she could see the muscles in his jaw jumping.

"I don't know, really. I was just watching the lights, and then I was in the woods." She reached down to rub at her ankle, an absent-minded gesture. "I got out, though. And then Mr. Creech was there, in his Jeep. He gave me a ride back to Jim's."

"Creech?" Brian's dark eyes snapped. "You got into his Jeep? You don't even know him."

"Well, no, but he works for Jim, right? He's harmless," she said. But when he didn't say anything else, she added, "Right? He's harmless."

Brian was taking several deep breaths. "Did you tell Jim and Trixie about any of this?"

"I had to. They were waiting for me in the kitchen when I got home," she said. "But no, I didn't tell them Creech is the one who brought me home." And did that matter? Who was Edward Creech, really?

"Stay away from Creech," he told her. "There's more to him than you need to know, but trust me. Stay away from him."

"Why?" When he didn't seem eager to elaborate, she leaned toward him over the table. "Brian, please. Tell me what you know. Dan told me to be careful of people around here, too."

"Dan? When did you talk to him?"

"About five minutes before you called. I was down by the woods, and he stopped with his patrol car. He told me there's still danger here in Sleepyside." She gave him a pointed look. "Are there descendants of the Conjurers living here?" She counted to ten. "I want to know, Brian."

He sighed and was about to say something, but Jason returned with their drinks and food. He set them down and again looked Honey over. "Thank you, Jason. That'll be all," Brian said, his voice firm.

"Okay." Jason turned away, and Honey tried to stem the shiver that went through her. He definitely creeped her out, but she knew he shouldn't. She looked across the table at Brian again.

"So?"

He took a sip of his soda and then pushed his plate away. "Look, I know you're curious. But this is something you shouldn't get involved in. Dan's right, it could be dangerous."

"But why? Do you really think anyone in this town would harm me?" Her thoughts drifted to the young man who'd accosted her outside, and another shiver swept through her. This time she couldn't control it. She was pretty sure he _would_ hurt her, if he wanted to.

Brian leaned toward her. "I think it's something I don't want you involved in," he said.

A small spark of anger jumped in her eyes. "I don't think it's up to you," she said, her voice tart. "People have been threatening me, and I don't like that. I want to know what's going on, and I'm going to find out." She slid out of the booth and frowned at him.

"Honey, wait." Brian slid out of the booth, but she was already moving toward the door, upset and not ready to talk things over with him. "Honey." He caught her at the door, but she pulled away from him and stormed outside.

"Just leave me alone, Brian, please. If you don't want to tell me anything, fine. But don't stand in my way of the truth." She turned toward her 4-Runner, expecting the conversation to be over. But Brian Belden was turning out to be as stubborn as he was handsome.

"Stop. Listen to me." He took gentle hold of her arm, but it was a firm enough hold she couldn't escape. He turned her to face him. "If you're really serious about finding out what's happening in Sleepyside, I'll help you. But," he studied her intently, "you can't go off on your own. Okay? Dan was right – there are things going on that are dangerous, and there are people who will hurt you or worse to keep it quiet."

Her eyes widened, and she forced a swallow. "Is it safe to trust Dan?"

"It is." He seemed to hesitate, and added, "But he's got secrets he's keeping too. I don't know what they are, but I know he does." He let go of her.

"Okay." It was a lot of information to take in all at once, and she took a couple of deep breaths to stymie the pounding of her heart.

"Hey!"

They turned to see Jason standing there, a piece of paper in his hand. Brian sighed. "We're coming back in, Jason," he called out. Jason was scowling, but nodded and disappeared back into the restaurant. "So." Brian turned his attention back to Honey. "Can we agree to do this together?"

"I agree, but you have to tell me everything you know," she told him. " _Everything."_

"Agreed." He smiled down at her. "And I promise not to get too overprotective. I just want you to be safe while we're investigating what's going on."

"Thank you," she said. And to be honest, having him watching out for her was quite appealing. She didn't want a babysitter, but if she _did_ run into danger, it would be good to have him at her side. They went back inside to finish their meal, and she hoped that they'd be able to get to the bottom of what was happening in Sleepyside, and why everyone wanted her to leave.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Trixie Belden and Co. I'm just borrowing them.

So, disclaimer here: this story has taken a twist I hadn't planned for, but am excited about. It is very supernatural in manner, so I'll understand if that doesn't appeal to the Trixie fans at large. But I think if you stick with it, you'll find a very unique story, with a deep romance. Thanks :-)

SINISTER

CHAPTER 8:

Honey walked into the Sleepyside Public Library and paused, unsure where to go. It was fairly small building, and she wasn't sure where the circulation desk was. The place was quite dark, with low lighting, and she frowned to herself. If she could barely see here, how would she be able to look at old newspapers and micro film?

"Yes?"

The surly voice came from a few feet to her left, and she tried not to jump. She turned her head to see a pretty dark-haired young woman about her age standing there. Wearing a deep scowl, she had one hand on her hip and was dressed in a black sweater with black leggings. Honey offered her a small smile. "I'd like to look at some old newspapers?" she said.

The woman kept her scowl but said, "What years?"

"Um," Honey hesitated. "Well, what I'm really looking for is anything about the Conjurers."

Her words inspired an even deeper scowl. "I don't know what you're talking about." She walked past Honey, clearly looking to ignore her, but Honey pursued her, all the way to a small desk toward the back of the building. The woman huffed out an irritated sigh and turned to face her. "Look, they weren't that interesting, okay? They were just some crazy guys living in the woods."

"So you _do_ know something about them, then," Honey said. She smiled again, but quickly saw that it wasn't going to help her. She dropped it and opted for a small frown. "I'd like to find out everything I can about them."

"Why?"

A flare of irritation rose in Honey's chest. "Show me where I can find the info. Please."

The woman sighed again. "I can't. It's locked down."

"Locked down?"

"What did I just say? _Locked down_ , as in, you can't have it." The woman gave her a look like she thought Honey was stupid. "Just go."

But Honey hadn't come here to back down. She leaned on the desk. "No. I want that information. I want to know why everyone's afraid of the woods. I want to know who the Conjurers descendants are, because some of them still live here. I'm not leaving until I get what I want."

"You're asking for trouble, you know that?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not at liberty to let anyone look at that information. So go."

Honey was about to argue again, but someone walked up behind her. The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and she slowly turned to see Dan standing there. His dark eyes glinted with something she didn't like. "Madeleine. I thought I'd warned you off."

"I told her she's just going to get into trouble," the woman said. She came around and put her right hand on Dan's hip. "But she won't leave."

"She's leaving." Dan nodded at Honey. "Come on. You'll just get yourself into trouble."

 _Brian said I could trust Dan, but I don't like this. Why is he so adamant against me knowing anything? And who is this woman? She seems awfully close with him._ "I'm not leaving, Dan," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Dan sighed and kissed the top of the woman's head. "Hallie's right. You stay here, you find something out, bad things will happen. Now come on. Don't make me put you in cuffs."

"Hallie?" Honey thought hard for a few seconds, trying to find that name in her memories. "As in Hallie Belden?" Her eyes widened for a moment.

The woman gave her a snarky grin. "Yeah, and what's it to you?"

"Nothing," Honey said, shaking her head. She could see the amusement in the eyes of the other two, and blushed, embarrassed. She knew full-well who this woman was, and she wasn't sure why nobody had said she lived here in Sleepyside, and worked at the library.

"Come on, Madeleine." Dan moved away from Hallie and gestured to Honey. "Let's go."

"I'm not leaving. This is a public library, and I can be here if I want," she told him, putting some defiance in her voice. She had no reason to fear either of these people, even if they were both giving off scary vibes at the moment. If Dan didn't leave her alone, she knew she could get Brian to back her up.

Hallie sighed loudly and said, "Can't we just show her what she wants? It's not like we're going to be held responsible for what happens to her."

Honey's breathing hitched in her chest. "What do you mean by that?"

Hallie turned to face her, her dark berry eyes glittering. "I mean, you nosy little thing, that maybe we _should_ share the information we have with you. If you know what's really going on around here, maybe you'll freak out and leave our town." Her voice was cold and mean, and Honey wanted to shrink back from her. But she hadn't come here to run away.

"I just want information on the Conjurers. That's all," she said.

Dan took a step toward her, and she stumbled back against the edge of the desk. "Don't ask for something you can't handle," he told her. He held his hand out. "I'm serious now. Let's go. You're disrupting the library and keeping Hallie from her work."

"What's going on?"

Dan sighed as Jim's voice resonated through the library. Honey took a breath of relief. Hallie looked annoyed. "Dan? Hallie?" Jim walked up to the desk and started upon seeing Honey. "Hon? What are you doing here?" There was wariness in his voice, wariness that Honey didn't like one bit.

"She's just leaving," Hallie said, looking at him. "Weren't you, sweetie?" she added, glancing at Honey.

"No." Honey shook her head. "I'm here for information on the Conjurers, and she told me it's locked down, whatever that means. I just want to know what's going on here in Sleepyside."

"It doesn't involve you," Jim said, and took hold of her wrist. "Come on." When Honey tried to pull back, he simply increased his hold. "Now, Hon. This isn't the time or place for this."

"So when is? Huh? You won't tell me anything about the woods, but you don't like me going into them. What the hell is going on around here?" She couldn't quite keep her voice down, and anger wove a dark path through it. Jim scowled at her and took a step, moving her along with him.

"Next time, call me," Jim told Dan.

"I really didn't expect this much trouble with her," Dan said, shrugging. "She's a lot feistier than you had said."

Panic was starting to rise up in her chest. Honey opened her mouth to talk, but the room went dark. Completely dark. There was no noise, except for the pounding of her heart in her ears. Jim's grip increased on her wrist, and she pressed closer to him, suddenly more afraid of whatever had made it dark than of him. A great gust of wind swirled around them, and Honey barely contained a gasp. What in the world was happening?

The lights flickered twice and slowly came back on, and she found the other three staring at her with speculation. "Well, that was new," Hallie said, her tone dry. "Maybe you're more special than we thought."

"Special? What do you—"

"C'mon. We gotta go." Jim tugged on Honey's wrist and took off for the doors. Honey resisted him, but he was much too big to for her to stop, and he dragged her out of the building. The sky was darkening, and lightning flashed in the distance. She shivered. The temp felt like it had dropped ten degrees.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, staring up at him. "Why won't you just tell me what's going on?"

He rubbed a big hand down his face and heaved a deep sigh. "Because I can't, Honey. None of us can. And to be honest, it's better if you don't know." He studied her for a long moment. "In fact, I think it's best if you go back to New York. I didn't realize having you here was going to stir everything up."

"Stir everything up? I don't know what you mean. Who is Edward Creech, really? Why didn't you tell me Hallie was in Sleepyside, and working at the library?" The words tumbled from her mouth and she was flush with anger. "What are you and Trixie hiding from me?"

Jim's eyes narrowed. "Look, I can't tell you right now, okay? It's dangerous." He took hold of her arm. "Come on. Let's go to Trixie's office."

"No." Honey jerked away from him. When he turned toward her, she saw how angry he was getting. "Jim, please. This is really weirding me out, okay? Just tell me what's happening." She couldn't quite hide the little note of fear in her voice, and immediately his features softened.

"I'm sorry, Honey. I didn't mean to scare you. But there is something dangerous going on, and I need to make sure you and Trix are okay. Please." He had a beseeching look on his face that she knew she couldn't ignore, and biting her lip, she nodded and started following him down the street. The lightning was close enough now that she could hear the thunder, and she hurried, staying closer to Jim.

Trixie was in her office when they got there, and Jim went to her and pulled her into his arms. Honey looked away, giving them a minute of privacy. The office was not large, but it was cozy, and she sat down in one of the two dark blue armchairs. Trixie pulled back from Jim and turned to Honey. "I guess we need to talk, don't we?" she said.

"I'd like to know what's going on, yes," Honey told her. "Especially since you never said anything about Hallie being here. And something weird happened in the library, too."

Trixie turned to Jim. "I think we're gonna need strawberry pop for this one."

He slanted a quick grin at her. "Okay. I'll be back. Don't get into anything too dark with me gone." He smiled as he said it, but Honey picked up on his ominous tone.

"We won't." Trixie waited until Jim had kissed the top of her head and left before saying, "Okay. First things first, I guess. Hallie works at the library."

"Trix." Honey shook her head. "Do better than that."

Trixie sighed. "Okay, I know it was wrong to keep you in the dark about her. But let's be honest – you're not a huge fan."

"How could I be? She tried to steal Jim from you!" Honey's voice rose in anger. "Of _course_ I'm not a big fan! You guys didn't even invite her to your wedding because of that."

"I know. But, well, things are okay between all of us. And she's dating Dan, so—"

"I know. They looked pretty cozy at the library," Honey said. "But she wouldn't let me look at any information on the Conjurers, and Dan threatened to take me out of the library in cuffs. Then when Jim showed up, all the lights went off and this wind blew through the building!" She took a deep breath. "So what is really going on here? Jim said he should send me back to New York. And Hallie said maybe I'm more special than you guys thought." She leveled a steely look on her best girlfriend. "So what does _that_ mean?"

Trixie looked away from her. "Hallie has a big mouth. Maybe we better wait for Jim to get back."

"Maybe you better tell me something," Honey countered. "I'm one of your best friends, Trix. I deserve to know, since obviously this all involves _me_ somehow." Her phone buzzed, and she looked at the caller ID, her face darkening with temper. Ignoring Kyle's call, she shoved the phone back in her pocket.

"You don't have to take that?"

"I don't want to talk to Kyle," Honey said, shaking her head. "I want _you_ to talk to _me_ and tell me what's going on." She couldn't help the anger in her voice – she'd just about had enough, thank you, of all the mystery and suspense.

"You probably aren't going to like what we tell you," Trixie finally said. Her voice was low, but there was steel in it. Honey frowned. She was in for a fight, she just knew it.

"Doesn't matter. I came here, at your guys' request, for a little vacation, and so far I've been told to leave town and not go into the woods, and now your cousin says I'm special. I _want to know what's going on._ "

Trixie huffed out a breath and met her gaze. "So the Conjurers. You know some of them left town, right, after the townspeople confronted them?" Honey nodded. "And of course, some of them stayed here. This was their home, and they weren't about to be ran out of it." Her voice hardened. "One of the men who stayed was Henry Belden."

Honey let out the breath she'd been holding and said, "Your ancestor?"

"Yes. And one of the most powerful of the Conjurers." Trixie got to her feet and walked back over behind the big desk.

"So they really could do…magic?" Honey couldn't help the skepticism in her voice. It all sounded too far-fetched.

Trixie leveled a look on her. "You've seen the lights in the woods, haven't you? That's why you were out there last night? You were chased by something your second day here. Yes?"

Honey nodded. "But how did you know all that? I never said a word."

"Because I know what lives out there, Honey."

The words, spoken so soft and wary, chilled Honey to the core. She shuddered. "What is it?"

"Something." Trixie shook her head. "It's a product of the dark days of magic here." She started pacing. "We should wait for Jim before I tell you the rest."

"Why?"

"Because." Trixie stopped and a shudder shook through her. "Because it would be safer."

"Safer? I don't understand." Frustration laced through Honey's words.

"I know you don't. You will. Just be patient." Trixie sat down on her desk.

But being patient was something Honey didn't want to do, not at all. She wanted answers, especially since Trixie was being so cryptic with her words. The door opened a few moments later, and Jim and Brian walked in. Her pulse quickened, even as she told it not to. She wasn't yet ready to think much about going down that road with him. "You guys okay?" Jim asked, moving toward Trixie with intensity.

"We are now that you guys are here," she told him. He hugged her close as Brian knelt by Honey in her chair.

"You okay? Jim said something happened at the library," he whispered. He gently put his hand on her knee.

She ignored the shock wave his touch sent through her body and forced a small smile. "I had no idea Hallie was here in Sleepyside," she said, knowing full-well that wasn't what he meant.

He frowned. "Not what I meant, Honey. Jim said the lights went out and there was a wind inside the building." His voice was low and deep, and tinged with worry. "That hasn't happened here inside the town limits in a very long time."

Honey sat back, jerking her leg away from him. "It's happened before? You never said that! I thought you'd told me everything you knew."

"Easy," he murmured. "I told you a lot of what I know, but no, not _everything_." He glanced over at Jim and Trixie, who seemed to be deep in conversation. Looking back into Honey's hazel eyes, he said, "We weren't sure. We didn't want you to know too much, just in case you weren't who we thought you might be." He chuckled a little. "I know that doesn't make much sense. Please, just trust us. We're going to help you with this. I promise."

Bewilderment overcame Honey, and she said, "I don't understand any of this. Can't you just tell me what's happening? Who do you think I am? I mean, I'm nobody. I'm just some rich guy's daughter!" Her voice rose as a burst of panic filled her chest.

Brian took careful hold of her hands and squeezed them, murmuring, "You're freezing." He met her wild eyes. "I promise you, Madeleine, you aren't _nobody_. You're very special. We'll tell you why, but not here. We have to go somewhere safe for that." He got to his feet in a graceful move and turned toward the other two. "We need to go. Trix and Honey need to be somewhere safer."

Jim eased back from Trixie and nodded. "We'll go to the gate house. They won't think to look there first."

"Who? Who won't think to look?" Honey was trembling, really frightened now and not sure why. That the three of them were being very cryptic was worrying, but she trusted them. What she didn't like was the growing sense of dread filling her stomach. Nausea vibrated through her.

"Come on." Brian held his hand out to her, and she took it. His was warm and big around hers, and another small shock wave ricocheted through her body. He led her to the door and stuck his head out, then brought her out. It was starting to rain, and the sky had blackened like a bruise. The wind caught at her and she shivered. Brian put his arm around her and steered her toward his car. Opening the passenger side door for her, he ushered into the vehicle and shut the door. Jim and Trixie climbed in the back. Brian got in and started the car, backing out into the street. Putting the car into drive, he glanced over at her. "It'll be all right," he said.

She was sure he meant to reassure her, but nothing about how they were behaving was reassuring. "What is going on, guys? Jim? Who's after us? Why do we need to go somewhere safer?"

"We'll talk once we get to the gate house," Jim said. His voice was taut and cold, not inviting any more questions.

But she was nervous, and she couldn't help her rambling. "The gate house? Where is that? Why was there wind in the library? Why was Hallie so adamant about me not seeing any of the information on the Conjurers? And why didn't you tell me, Trix, that a Belden was a Conjurer? And one of the most powerful? What is _going on_?" Her hands shook in her lap. Brian reached over and covered them with his right one, trying to still their movement.

But none of them spoke, and she forced back the tears of frustration and fear in her eyes. She didn't understand anything except that they were apparently in some sort of danger. Brian drove fast but he was skilled, and the car skimmed over the roads. She didn't recognize where they were going. They finally pulled into a winding driveway that led into a grove of pine trees. There a small white structure stood, with a magnificent lake behind it. They all got out, and Brian came around the car to take her hand and lead her over to the building.

Jim unlocked the door, and the four of them stepped inside. It was a little bigger than what it had appeared from the outside, and Brian directed Honey to a loveseat. He and Jim moved around the room, looking out the windows and then checking the lock on the door. When they finally turned to face her and Trixie, she thought she'd burst from the fear and anxiety that roiled in her system.

"All right." Jim let out a deep sigh. "Now we can tell you everything, Honey. But you have to promise us this: you'll trust us completely. What we're going to tell you will sound odd and frightening, and not realistic. But we know who we are, and who _you_ are, too." He studied her for a second, gauging her. He waited until Brian had settled down on the loveseat next to her. "As Trixie already told you, the Belden family dates back to the Conjurers, and her relative, Henry, was one of them who refused to be run out of town. He moved back from the woods and settled down, out by where our house is." He paused, again gauging her.

Honey frowned at him. "Keep going," she encouraged. "I want to know everything."

"You will," Brian assured her, his voice quiet.

"Some of the other Conjurers refused to run, and they too, settled here in Sleepyside, this time making their homes within the village. They kept practicing the dark arts, perfecting them," Jim said. "And those who moved away, they also kept on practicing, honing their skills they'd learned in Salem. Two of them moved their families to New York City, and became quite prominent and wealthy. They practiced their art away from prying eyes, keeping it alive." He stopped, watching Honey.

She took in what he said, and her eyes slowly widened. "No. That can't be. You can't mean what I think you do."

"I do," he told her, nodding. "The Frayne and Wheeler families became very adept at the dark arts, and used them to influence their situations and deals they made. Those dark arts have been passed down to each generation, protecting the sphere of influence those two families have. But the problem is, as those arts have been passed down, the darker the influence has gotten, and corruption has started, and it's spreading through all those who are descendants of the Conjurers. Those who like the corruption want to protect it, but there are those of us who want to right the balance." Jim gave Honey a pointed look. "That's where you come in, Hon."

"Me? But I don't know anything." She shook her head. Her stomach was jumping with anxiety. "I mean, I don't know any dark arts or magic or whatever you call it. I don't understand this."

Brian reached over to take hold of her left hand, giving it a squeeze. "We don't expect you to know everything yet, Honey. But you _do_ know things. You just don't realize it yet."

"How is that possible?" she whispered. "My parents never said anything about this."

"Hon, your mom died in an accident, right?" Trixie asked, her voice soft.

"Yes, four months ago," Honey said, nodding. What did that have to do with—"No. No, that's not possible," she said, horror creeping into voice. But when Jim gave her a look, she said, "But why?"

"She was doing some investigating," Jim said, his voice low. "Someone found out what she was doing, and…." He let his words run down.

"No." Honey pulled away from Brian and got up. She rarely paced when nervous or upset; her father had always told her it was bad to let anyone see your emotions running you, but damn it, she couldn't help it. Not right now. "I don't believe that, Jim. It was just a car accident."

"It wasn't just an accident, Hon. She'd found something, and they destroyed her for it." Jim's voice was hard, unyielding. "You can deny this all you want, but it's all true."

"So why hasn't my father ever said anything about it?"

"He didn't want to involve you. And he tried not to involve your mother, but she always felt it was her duty to help him as much as possible with it." Jim's voice softened. "I'm sorry, Hon. But you need to know this now."

"Why now? What changed?" She turned to face him. Brian shifted on the loveseat, like he wanted to go to her, but she eyed him with a frown and he stayed put.

"Things have been happening. And you coming here has awakened things, too." Jim's voice was low now, and his eyes darted toward the door. "We weren't sure it would."

"You invited me just to see if the, whatever it is, would awaken?" Honey's voice rose again, and Brian got to his feet. This time, her frown didn't put him off, and he came to her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"We understand you're upset. We expected that. But please, you have to trust us. We need you to help us put down the rising of the dark arts," he said. His voice, warm and deep, washed over her, and she bit her lip. She wanted to believe them all, and trust them, of course, but how could she? This all seemed so bizarre.

 _But yet, look at what's happened since you came. The woods, the balls of light, the way everyone has been warning you to leave. Why would they lie to you? Jim has been your best friend your entire life. And Trixie loves you. And Brian really seems to like you._ She knew she should run away. This all sounded too far-fetched to be real. But something about it also seemed too real, like this was what her reality _should_ be like. She swallowed hard and looked up into his amazing dark eyes. "I'm trying to, really. But this is all so…weird to me," she finally said. "And why do I matter? I mean, I didn't even know I was part of the Conjurers' bloodlines until just now. What could I possibly do to help you guys?"

"You're strong," Brian whispered. He dropped his hands from her shoulders. "Stronger than you know. And we're all in this together, okay? We take care of each other."

"Are Mart, Di, and Dan in on this, too?" Her voice sounded breathless in her ears.

"They are. We wanted badly to tell you at Mart and Di's last night, but it didn't seem the right time," Brian told her. "Jim said Dan was creeping you out today, but he's a good guy. You can trust all of us. Even Hallie."

"That might be a stretch," Honey said, but a small grin crossed her face. Brian smiled back, and it was like her soul flooded with sunshine, and she felt a little woozy. Her smile fell away. "How did you do that?" she whispered.

Brian gave a small shake of his head. "In time, Honey. We'll explain everything. But we all have our specialties, just like you do." He suddenly stiffened. "Jim."

"I felt it," Jim said. "We're not safe here right now." He took hold of Trixie's hand. "Let's go before they get too close."

"Who?" Honey asked, her bewilderment back again. "Brian?"

"Trust us," he said and putting his hand on the small of her back, ushered her toward the door. "But we have to go. There are those who want to keep us from changing things, and they'll do whatever possible to do it." His voice was low and reassuring, and she followed him back out to the car, where he held the passenger door open for her again. "Hey," he said, bending down to her level once she'd gotten in. "I want you to know I'll keep you safe," he told her.

"I trust you," she said. She couldn't force much volume into her voice, but he nodded and closed the door. Jim and Trix got in the back, and they took off. "Where to now?" Honey asked.

"Another safe house," Jim said. "Hopefully one they won't breach before we can tell you everything."

"And work out a plan," Trixie added. She reached forward to touch Honey's shoulder. "Everything will be okay now. We'll be strong enough to break the darkness."

"Okay," Honey murmured, still not understanding much at all, and frightened of what they were all implying. How could her father and mother have hid such a dark secret from her? And did she really believe any of this? But why would they lie to her? Brian reached over and put his hand on her left knee and shot her an intense but warm look, and she was overcome with a sudden sense of belonging. Somehow, they were right. Somehow, this was part of her world now.


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own Trixie Belden and Co. They are just being borrowed for my story.

So, based on lack of reviews, I'm guessing most people have given up on this. I admit, it tracks pretty far away from any other Trixie Belden story I've ever written, although there are other supernatural ones out there. But I am having fun writing it, and so will continue :-) Anyone who would like to leave a review, please feel free to do so, unless it's just to point out that, yes, this is a very different kind of story. I already know that :-)

SINISTER

CHAPTER NINE:

Brian pulled the car onto a dirt trail and slowed down, driving carefully as the trail wound through the trees. Honey tried to calm the racing of her heart, but everything was happening so fast now. She'd wanted answers about the Conjurers, but this wasn't what she'd been expecting, and she was barely able to contain the panic and fear that threatened to choke off her breath. She knew she was safe with them, but that didn't help to alleviate much of the stress.

They finally stopped near a small ramshackle cabin, and Honey got out, taking a deep breath. She could smell water nearby, and realized they were right near the Hudson River. Jim led them into the cabin, after he'd checked it out, and they took seats on the couches inside.

"We should be safe enough here," Brian said, his voice low.

"So how are we supposed to stop this darkness?" Honey asked, figuring she may as well jump right into it.

"Using the skills we have," Jim told her. "But there is some other information you need to have." He took a deep breath. "Kyle Manning is one of the Conjurers who wants to keep the dark arts distorted."

Honey's blood iced in her veins. "Kyle is one of them? One of us?" She thought back to how he'd been when they'd dated, how exciting and magnificent he'd been, how their romance had been nothing more than a whirlwind of feverish dreams and whispers, and knew. "He called me a while ago, but I didn't take it," she said, glancing at her three companions. "Do you think he knows something has happened?" She wasn't even sure what it was that had happened, but she trusted these three.

"I'm sure he does," Trixie said, nodding. "He wants to reconnect to you, to keep you close. He likely knows you're the one we needed to be able to change the dark arts."

"Why don't you call it magic?" Honey asked.

The guys exchanged a look. "Because it's not magic, per se," Brian said, shaking his head. "There's a lot more to it. It's a lot more powerful. Calling it magic would give the wrong impression."

"Okay." Honey wasn't sure she understood that, at all, but they didn't seem inclined to explain it any more than that. "Did Kyle date me just because he knew I was part of the Conjurers' bloodlines?" And did that explain why he'd dropped her so easily? Because back then she hadn't known who she was?

Jim and Trixie exchanged a glance. "I think that's why, yes," he told her. "I'm sorry, Honey. I wanted to tell you everything I knew back then, but your father and my father refused to let me get involved. They didn't think he'd hurt you." His voice dropped to a growl on the last two words. "If I'd known what he was going to do, I'd have run him off."

Honey nodded and ducked her head as sudden tears filled her eyes. _So Kyle was never truly interested in me – he just wanted to see if I knew who I really was. And when he decided I didn't, he dropped me. I never meant anything to him._ And that hurt. It hurt to even draw a breath, knowing it hadn't been _her_ he'd been into, but _what_ she was. The couch cushion next to hers shifted as Brian settled down next to her and reached out to touch her hand.

"Hey." He waited until she'd pulled herself together enough to look at him. "Forget what he did. He's not worth getting upset over, okay? You are a wonderful, amazing woman, and you're too good for him." His deep voice was soft and low, and she wanted to believe what he said, but suspicions started to rise in her mind.

"Wait just a minute." She threw an accusing look at the other two. "You two are together, and you're both Conjurers. Trix, you really wanted me to spend time with Brian. Are the Conjurers supposed to intermarry? I mean, like marry only other Conjurers?" Because if they were, was that the only reason Brian seemed to be attracted to her? Just because of old customs or something?

Trixie shook her head, her soft blonde hair waving around her shoulders. "No, that's not why I wanted you two to spend time together. I really think you two make a good couple." She blushed a little as she said it, and Honey found her own cheeks heating with embarrassment. A quick glance at Brian showed he didn't seem to be bothered by the conversation, and that surprised her.

He took hold of Honey's left hand and squeezed it. "It's true we're both Conjurers, but that's not why I'm attracted to you. And we don't have to marry within the bloodlines, either. A lot of them choose not to. I like you, just like I told you last night at Mart's. Nothing will change that, and nothing outside of plain old attraction influenced it."

She blushed fiercer this time, and yet was happy to have his confirmation of why he liked her. Biting her lip, and pretending she wasn't completely embarrassed by the topic she'd brought up, she said, "So what now? How do we stop the, um, dark arts from being too dark?"

"It's not as easy as all that," Jim told her. He glanced out of the side window. "We all have specialties, and we all need to be able to use them at their full capacity in order to return the arts to what they once were."

"Okay, but that doesn't explain anything," Honey said. "And anyway, I mean, isn't it illegal or something to even use our…whatever it is we have? To influence things?" Her stomach hurt as she thought about it. She'd never done anything illegal in her life, and she wasn't about to start now.

Brian chuckled. "Those of us who want to change things back don't use it to do harm. We use our powers for good. And there's more to this world than what meets the eye, as you're seeing."

Lightning flashed through the windows, and the two women jumped. Brian moved a little closer to Honey, and she found his size and warmth very comforting. They still hadn't told her just what it was they had to do, not exactly, and she was still full of fear, but at least she wasn't alone, and wouldn't be. Thunder rolled over the cabin, and Jim got to his feet.

"I guess we should tell you what each of our specialties are," he said. Brian and Trixie each nodded, encouraging him. "Trixie's talents, her specialties, run to being able to find out the truth. It's why she's such a sought-after PI." Jim gave his wife a fond look. "And Brian has the ability to make people feel different things. Hope, terror, fear, safety. He's an empath."

Honey looked at Brian, and he smiled. Again, her entire being was wrapped in warmth and light, and he said, "This is what I can do, if I so choose."

"I see," she said, eminently glad he chose to make her feel this way. It was soothing, and he probably knew that's exactly what she needed. "And you, Jim?" she asked, turning her attention back to him.

He smiled. "Mine are a little harder to describe. I'm what the Conjurers call an Honor. Basically, a leader. I can be an enforcer, too, if I need to be."

"An enforcer?" Honey wasn't sure she liked the sound of that, but he gave her a reassuring smile.

"It just means I have some sway in a fight," he said. "If things get physical. Dan also has the enforcer abilities. It's why he's such a good cop."

"And the others?" she prodded. "What are their capabilities?"

"Mart has abilities with technology, and with writing. It's why he went into journalism. Di and Hallie have the same abilities, but they use them differently, when they need them. Di uses hers as more influence, and Hallie uses her for persuasion. Of course, we only use our abilities for good, which separates us from those who have been using theirs for evil. That's why we have to stop what they're doing, and turn the arts back to what they were originally intended for."

"But you keep calling them 'dark arts.' I mean, if they're dark, should you use them at all?" Honey said. Things were starting to make a little more sense, though she didn't really see the difference in what Di and Hallie could do, and she didn't understand how she was supposed to have any abilities. The only thing she was good at was painting.

"Anything like what we have has always been considered 'dark,'" Brian said, "even if we don't use it for nefarious purposes. Some of that is because our ancestors learned the arts in Salem, during a very dark and violent history of our country." He shrugged. "So we call them the 'dark arts,' but we don't use them that way. At least, not all of us."

"And you, Madeleine Grace Wheeler, you have an unusual talent," Jim said, and Honey shuddered. "You can visualize," he added.

"Visualize?"

"Yes. Why do you think you're such an incredible painter? I mean, you paint your pictures from nothing but what you see in your mind. You've never needed reference pictures, or sketches, or anything. You just paint what you see. And you can see things that we can't. Those bouncing balls of light in the woods? None of us can see them."

"How did you know they existed, then?"

"Because Edward Creech can see them, and he's told me all about them. He's the only other visualizer we've met," Jim told her. "You two can see the visual aspect of the dark arts. That gives you a tremendous advantage, and an advantage to our team." His voice grew more animated as he spoke. "We were hoping that's what your talent was, but we couldn't be sure. And we didn't want you in the woods, because there's something out there, something dangerous, and we didn't want you to confront it without knowing what your ability was."

Honey could feel a kind of weight lifting off of her, and she wasn't sure if Brian was manipulating her, or if simply knowing why they didn't want her in the woods was the reason. But she didn't think he would use his ability randomly, so it had to be relief. "But how do we turn the arts back, then? I mean, make them normal? Do we have to hurt anyone to do that?"

The two men looked at each other, but it was Trixie who spoke. "We don't want to hurt anyone, but it might come to that. Most of the Conjurers live in this state; we've unofficially adopted it as our own. So if those who oppose us get nasty, they could have the ones who support them join in. Then, yeah, it could get bad." Her voice was sober. "But we have to win, Honey. We have to restore balance to the dark arts, or those who are using them in the wrong will cause a lot of harm in the world."

Honey took in a quiet breath and looked down at her hands. This was very serious, and they expected her to just be ready to jump into battle? She might be a visualizer, but that didn't mean that she knew how to use it like this. Brian squeezed her hand, and warmth spread through her body. She looked up at him, and he smiled. "We're here to help, Honey. We're a team, and we'll do this together."

"When?" she asked, her voice soft. "When do we start? I mean, I don't even know how to access my ability."

"You've already done it," Jim told her. "You saw the balls of light. And you've been doing it since you were a little girl, ever since you started painting."

"Okay," she said, nodding. "But how do we go about this? We just call them out, like a street fight?" She attempted to inject some humor, but it fell flat, and she sighed a little. "I'm sorry. I just, I'm overwhelmed by all of this, and scared, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do to help you all." Her voice grew quieter as she spoke.

"We'll keep explaining things as we go," Jim told her.

"And you don't have to be scared – you have all of us," Trixie said, smiling, though she seemed troubled. "We all have each other's backs. Trust us. We can do this, now that we have you."

"But since Mr. Creech can see it too, why didn't you just have him help you?"

"He's not one of us," Brian said. His voice was cold. "He wants to keep the arts darker, use them for corruption." He looked at her, and she shivered at his intensity. She could feel it burning through his hand to hers. "He'll give us a fight, because he's a visualizer too."

Thunder rumbled overhead, and Honey jumped, her heart racing. A calm sensation flooded through her, and she gave Brian a grateful look. "Do we start now?" she asked.

The door suddenly banged open, and Brian and Jim immediately moved to place themselves between it and the women. Mart Belden stood there, worry and fear written on his face. "Are you guys all okay?" he asked.

"We are," Jim said. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong is they know about Madeleine now. Creech put the word out," Mart said. "We have to go."

"Where are the others?" Jim asked, already reaching for Trixie's hand to take her outside.

"Dan took them back to our place. We figured that would be best," Mart said. He nodded to Honey. "All caught up?"

"Um, getting there," she said. Brian was walking her back out to his car. The wind was stiff and she was grateful when he moved her closer to him so he could block most of it. He got her into the backseat this time, and Trixie joined her. Once the two men were in, they followed Mart in his truck back out to the main road. Honey leaned close to Trixie. "So, why Mart's house? Does it have some invisible force field around it?" She was joking, again trying to lighten the mood, but when Trix just gave her a look, she sighed. "Really?"

"It's not a force field. Let's just say Creech and his cronies have run up against Mart before, and didn't like it," Trixie said, her voice low. "You hanging in there with all this?"

"I guess so. To be honest, I don't know if I even _believe_ all of this," Honey whispered back. She hated to doubt, but this was very far-fetched sounding.

Trixie nodded. "Don't feel bad about that. Believe me, when our parents first told the four of us, we were all very skeptical, especially Brian. He really didn't want to believe, until he started figuring out that he _could_ manipulate feelings and emotions. Even then, though, he didn't want to believe. It's been hard. And we didn't think we'd ever have to fight or anything. But our hand is being forced now. Bobby might even have to come home." She touched Honey's arm. "It's okay if you don't really believe this all right now. But when the time comes for us to fight, you'll have to, because we need you."

Honey nodded, trying to put on a brave front. "I _do_ want to believe, Trix, and obviously, I've felt Brian's, um, well whatever it is. Power, I guess. But I don't think I'm cut out for fighting."

"You'll be fine," Trixie said, giving her arm a squeeze.

They pulled into Mart and Di's driveway, followed closely by Mart, and the five of them hurried inside. Di ran to Mart and he wrapped his arms around her, dropping his head down close to hers. Dan and Hallie were sitting on the couch, and Hallie smirked at Honey.

"Well, are you happy now?" she asked. "Happy you know everything?"

"Lay off, Hallie," Brian warned. He took Honey's hand and led her over to the loveseat, where they both sat. Hallie glared at Brian but soon shifted her attention back to Jim and Trixie.

"We should be safe here," Mart said, turning from Di, but keeping his arm around her shoulders. "Creech isn't exactly a big fan of mine."

Jim nodded. "We've brought Honey, um, Madeleine, up to speed on what we are, and on what's been happening."

"Yeah, but will she be good enough to fight?" Dan asked. He looked at Honey. "No disrespect, but you're just finding all this out now. And we might have to go against the others soon."

Honey bit her lip. Again, she could feel overwhelming panic coming over her. She wasn't a fighter. She hadn't asked for this, but none of them had. She just wanted to be an artist, and wanted everything to go back to normal. "I'll do my best," she said, wishing her voice had more strength and conviction.

"You'll do fine," Brian told her. He wasn't doing anything to influence how she was feeling, and she wasn't sure if she wanted him to or not. At some point, she needed to face down the panic.

"Mart." Di's voice rose, and he turned his head.

"Creech is here," he said. He let go of Di and moved toward the door, Jim and Dan at his back. Trixie, Hallie, and Di stood in a group behind them. Honey started to get up, but Brian held her back.

"It's better for you to stay here," he said. Giving her knee a pat, he got up and went to stand between the men and the three women.

Mart opened the door and said, "Yes?" His tone was even, neutral.

"She's here. I know you brought her here." Edward Creech's voice was quiet, almost resigned. "You know what you're bringing upon yourselves, don't you? Jim? You want to do this?"

"We'll do what has to be done, Edward," Jim said, moving forward to stand next to Mart. "If any harm is done, it won't be by our hands."

"It will be done by _all_ of our hands," Edward corrected, sighing. "She won't give you an edge, like you think. You know she won't. She'll only be your downfall. You hear that, Ms. Wheeler? A downfall." His voice echoed weirdly in the room. "I'll be off, then, but remember: you all brought this upon yourselves."

"Get off my property," Mart ordered.

"Gladly."

Mart slammed the door and turned to the others. "So what's the plan? We know they won't take this quietly. They want everything to keep progressing."

"We wait. Let them make the first move," Jim said.

"I'm good with that," Dan said, nodding. "We stay cool, play it down. Make them jump first."

"Works for me," Brian added.

Honey tried to listen to their conversation, but everything that had happened in the last hour and half or so was finally starting to hit her, and she could feel the tears building in her eyes. Jim and Trixie had said she was the one final person they'd needed to turn the dark arts back to whatever they'd first been, but Edward Creech had just said she'd be their downfall. Who was telling the truth? What was the truth? Her head was spinning, and her stomach was tight with anxiety and fear. Overwhelmed and not sure what to say or do, she tried just quietly inhaling deep breaths to calm down.

"Hey." Brian eased himself down next to her, and she looked at him, seeing the instant concern blooming in his dark eyes. The others were no longer in the room with them. "It will be okay, Honey. Trust me. I know it doesn't seem like it right now, but it will be." Conviction rang strong in his deep voice, and she nodded, desperate to cope with the information. He touched her cheek, his hand warm. "You're so cold," he whispered, and before she knew what he was doing, he'd wrapped his arm around her and drawn her close to his side. "I know how overwhelming this all is," he whispered. "I've been there. We all have. But we're going to get you through this, I promise."

"Why did Creech say that about me?"

He let out a small sigh. "There's an old prophecy that one of Creech's ancestors supposedly wrote, and it says that the woman with honey hair and the stare will be the downfall of the good in the dark arts."

Honey couldn't help but smile. "Really? It rhymes like that?"

"Pretty stupid, huh?"

"Do you guys believe that?"

He waited until she looked at him, and shook his head. "If we did, would we have gone out of our way to bring you here? It wasn't just a vacation Trixie was planning for you – it was a test, to see if you were the one we've all been waiting for." His voice was solemn, and he touched her cheek again. "We don't know the extent of your gift yet, but we do know you'll use it for good."

 _But what if I can't? What if I don't? What if something forces my hand, and I make a wrong decision?_ Again the panic crawled up from her stomach and assaulted her throat, and she pushed closer to Brian, no longer caring if maybe she shouldn't get too close to him. She would need him, and the others, in the coming fight. He tightened his arm around her.

"Do you want me to calm you?" he asked. His voice was quiet, hesitant.

She thought about it. It would be nice to feel calm and safe, but she knew at some point, she'd have to face down the panic and fear on her own. "Thank you for asking, but no," she said, giving his hand at her waist a squeeze. "I really appreciate what you can do, but I need to work through this."

"You will. You're strong," he whispered. His phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket and looked at the ID. "I have to take this," he said and got up.

She watched as he went to the door and opened it, stepping outside and closing it behind him. Trixie came into the room and gestured toward the door. "Did someone call him?"

Honey nodded. "He said he had to take it," she said.

Trixie looked perturbed, but Honey didn't ask. She wasn't sure what to ask, anyway. "So, you wanted me to move here," she said instead. "Was that just because I'm a Conjurer?"

Trixie's blue eyes widened a little, and she walked over and sat down on the couch with Honey. "I will admit that yes, that was part of our plan. But really Honey, you aren't happy in the City. You know you aren't. And I wanted you and Brian to get to know one another, because he'd be good for you, and vice versa. And we love you. We want to have you close." Her honesty rang in her voice and shone in her eyes.

Honey sighed. "I don't know what to think, Trix. I mean, if I moved here, wouldn't that just cause more problems? It seems like I'd be better off in the City, and so would all of you."

"That's not true, at all." Trixie looked like she wanted to continue, but Brian returned.

"Mom and Dad are on their way back from Iowa," he said. Grimness coated his voice, and Trixie took a long deep breath.

"We don't want to involve them in this."

"I know," Brian said, shaking his head. "But they're plenty stubborn when they want to be."

"Mom and Dad are coming home?" Mart joined them, along with the others. "What about Bobby?"

Bobby was the youngest of the Belden siblings, and dark blond with blue eyes. Honey hadn't talked to him much at the wedding, but he had seemed happy and charismatic. It was funny to her that Brian was the only one who favored their father, who was dark and handsome, while the other three children looked like their mother, who was blonde.

"I don't know," Brian said, shrugging. "I talked to him last week, but he didn't ask how things were going here."

"What is his ability?" Honey asked, drawing everyone's eyes to her.

"He can read people," Hallie told her.

"Read people?"

Hallie sighed, drawing dark looks from both Brian and Jim. "He has great intuitive senses about people," she said. "Right, cousin?" She directed this statement to Brian, who gave a short nod.

"Hallie's right," he told Honey. "Bobby can usually get a very accurate read on people just by talking to them for a minute or so. It comes in handy for us."

"But why wouldn't he come home for this, then?" she asked.

"We really don't want to involve him if we don't have to," Trixie said. "He can be a little unpredictable, and we don't want him to get hurt." She gestured around the room. "This should be enough of a force to go against Creech and his people."

"About that," Honey said, voicing something that had been bothering her. "If Creech is against us, why did you hire him to work at the school?" She looked at Jim.

He gave her a tight smile. "Keep your friends close, and your would-be enemies closer," he said, shrugging. "It was a good way to watch him, even though he knew that was one reason I hired him."

It made sense to her, but it didn't make her rest any easier. She knew she would be safe with this group, but even that wasn't making it easy to accept that this was who she was, and this was what she was expected to do. Brian walked over and sat next to Honey on her other side, sandwiching her in-between him and Trixie. She felt a small swell of warmth wash over her, but wasn't sure whether it was because he was manipulating her, or because he simply made her feel safe.

"So we'll wait until Mom and Dad get here," Brian said, "and figure things out from there. Agreed?"

Everyone agreed. Dan and Hallie left first, Dan having to get back to work and Hallie mumbling about better things to do. She cast a long glance back at Honey, who bit her lip and tried not to feel like a little girl lost. Brian saw the look and scowled at his cousin, but she didn't seem deterred at all.

"She doesn't like me," Honey told him as they were getting ready to leave a few minutes later.

"Hallie is suspicious of everyone at first," he said. "She'll get used to you." He smiled as he said it. Jim and Trixie were waiting at the door for them, and Brian walked Honey out to his car, opening the front passenger door for her. "Don't worry about her, okay?" he added as Honey slid into the sedan.

"I'll try not to," she said, but that was all she could give him. He nodded and shut the door and as the others got in and they headed back into town to pick up the other vehicles, Honey hoped that she and Hallie would find some common ground. She had the feeling she would need to have all of the Beldens at her back when they confronted Creech and his cronies.


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own Trixie Belden and Co.

Thank you for the two very nice reviews I got on chapter nine. This is one of the most fun stories I've written, and I'm having fun watching Honey and Brian's relationship build even as the danger becomes more real for them. I am doing final edits on my fantasy novel, and am starting my next novel during NANOWRIMO, so I'm not sure how much time I'll have for _Sinister_ and my other fanfiction. But I will keep writing this, because I want to see how it all ends :-) Thank you to those still reading it and I hope you continue to like the story.

SINISTER

CHAPTER 10:

Brian dropped them off in town so they could get their vehicles. Honey waited until he had made sure it was safe for her to get into her 4Runner. "I'll follow you back to Jim's," he told her, watching as she buckled herself in.

"Will we be safe there? I mean, I thought we were safest at Mart's," she said, trying to remember everything that had been said earlier.

"Mart's is a safe place to be, but I don't think Creech will try anything right now. We were mostly concerned he might bring a show of force with him, and Mart's would be the best place to defend against that," he said. "Don't worry. You'll be safe at Jim's. He won't let anything hurt Trixie or you." His voice was low and reassuring, and she wished that he was coming with them, and knowing it was good he wasn't. She didn't need to depend on him that much, and he'd promised her he wouldn't get overprotective.

"Thank you, for everything," she said. He smiled and gave her arm a light squeeze.

"You're welcome. If you have any questions, or just need to talk, call or text me," he said. He stepped back and shut the door, and she started the 4Runner and waited for him to move so she could back out. She followed Jim and Trixie's trucks, with Brian following her. It didn't take long to get back to their house, and Brian honked the horn and kept driving. Jim ushered both women inside quickly and went back out to make sure the grounds were secure.

Trixie pulled two bottles of water out of the fridge and handed one to Honey, then went into living room. Honey followed her, jumpy and unsettled. Trixie sat down in a rocker recliner and closed her eyes. Honey sat on the couch and took some sips of water, not wanting to disturb her friend. Trixie and Jim had to be beat, having worked all day and now having to deal with all of this, too. It had been a long day, and she too just wanted to kick back and relax. Sleep was going to be elusive, though. She already knew that.

Jim came in and gestured for Honey to follow him. She stepped out into the kitchen, where he was leaning against the kitchen counter. "You doing okay with all of this?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

"Um, well, I guess so," she finally said. "It's confusing, and I still don't understand how exactly this all looks. I mean, is it going to be a physical fight?"

"Not necessarily," he said. "Not if we can keep it as civil as possible, which is our goal."

"But how, though? That's one thing I don't understand," she admitted.

"We've never had to fight before, so we don't know exactly how it looks, either. I do know that we'll have to be careful, and not be out and about alone." He suddenly turned and stared out the window above the sink, and Honey shivered.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Not sure. Something. Stay here." He moved toward the door, and she blocked his way. "Honey, move."

"No. You just said we need to stick together. I don't want you going out there and getting hurt," she said. He glowered at her, but she stood her ground. She and Jim had had their share of arguments while growing up, and she wasn't afraid of opposing him if she needed to.

He finally huffed out a deep sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. "Something's out there, and I need to know what it is."

"No, you _want_ to know what it is," she corrected him. "It doesn't matter what it is. It's out there, and we're in here, and it can't hurt us from out there." _At least I hope it can't. That would be scary._

A slow grin broke across his handsome face. "Good logic, Hon. But if it gets any closer to the house, I'm going out there." His voice grew harder as he spoke, and she knew he meant it. Jim had always been a protector, and if he thought his girls were in trouble, that's what he would do.

Trixie wandered out, looking dead on her feet, and Jim hurried to her side. As they began talking in low voices, Honey moved to the living room, not wanting to interrupt them. They didn't have as much privacy with her there as they normally did, and she wanted to stay out of their way as much as possible. As she walked past the large bay window that looked out toward the woods, she thought she saw a flash of something white. She moved closer, and as she neared the glass, something shot by the window, making her jump. Heartbeats thundering in her ears, and unable to look away, she pressed her nose to the glass and looked outside. It was growing dark, the purples of twilight fading into the black of night, and she saw nothing moving.

Her phone went off and she jumped again, and grabbed it from her pocket. "Hello?"

"You know you're on the wrong side, Madeleine." Kyle's cold voice washed over her, making her shiver. "You and I can be so much more together."

"You never told me anything about this," she said. Her anger at him, at what he'd done to her four years ago, was nothing to how she was feeling now. "You left me in Paris, at the Eiffel Tower, no less, and never, not _once_ said anything about the Conjurers."

"Would you have believed me back then? No. You were naïve and foolish and so _easy_ to manipulate," he said. The disdain in his voice hurt her. "You could do nothing for me back then. But now, you know who you are. What you are. We can have anything we want."

"No." Honey glanced out the window, and saw two glowing balls of light at the edge of the lawn. Her eyes widened. They seemed to be watching her, and waiting. "Don't call me again, Kyle." She hung up and stared at the lights. They moved along the edge of the lawn, and then turned toward her. She took a step away from the window as they charged, and gasped when they hovered outside, filling the living room with bright blue light.

"Honey? What's wrong?" Trixie called, and she remembered that they couldn't see the lights.

"Um, there are two lights outside the window," she said.

"Get away from them," Jim ordered as he came into the room. "Stay away from the windows. We don't know what's out there."

But the lights didn't seem malevolent to Honey, and she was drawn to them. "No, it's okay. I don't think they're bad."

"Bad or not, we don't know what they are." Jim took hold of her arm to move her, but she pulled away.

"No, Jim. Stop. It's fine," she argued. "Just let me be. They're outside, they can't hurt me." Her phone rang again, and glancing at the ID, she shoved it at him. "Here. Get rid of Kyle for me. Thanks."

Jim grumbled under his breath but took the phone. "And get away from the window. Please."

Honey frowned but did as he asked, not because she thought she was in any kind of danger, but because he was willing to talk to Kyle for her. She walked over and sat down next to Trixie on the couch. "Kyle wants me to work with him," she said.

"What? That's ridiculous," Trixie said, shaking her head. "He knows what you are, and figures he can use your gift. What a jerk."

"Yeah." Honey sighed inwardly.

"Hey, it's not your fault," Trixie said, her voice soft. "He is a jerk, Hon. He will never, ever deserve someone like you."

"I know. You know what, though? I fell for him. No one told me to date him, or to stay with him. I just couldn't let go, Trix. Even now, there's a really small part of me that thinks I need him, that everything will be as great as he says if I just go back to him." Her voice was small and quiet, and Trixie reached around her and gave her a hug.

"Don't believe any of that. Kyle is just a user, looking to gain things for himself," she said after she drew back. "Besides, I really think you and Brian could be happy together."

Thoughts of the dark-haired doctor flitted through Honey's mind, and she said, "No doubt."

"Do you trust him?"

Honey gave her a friend an odd look. "Why would you ask that?"

Trixie's blue eyes were intense. "We're going to be fighting, Honey. I need to know you trust us, Brian most of all, because you'll need people you can trust. Creech and his cronies are going to try and take you down first, so that we don't have a visionary on our side." Her tone was dark, and Honey shivered.

"I trust you, Jim, and Brian, at the moment," she said. "I don't know the others that well."

Trixie nodded. "That's good enough for me. You'll learn to trust the others soon enough." She turned away as Jim came back into the room, scowling. "Everything all right?"

"Define 'all right,'" he said, shaking his head. "I have the feeling that Kyle will be right in the middle of this."

Honey's blood rushed from her face, and Trixie reached out to touch her shoulder. "Don't worry. He won't be able to hurt you, not with all of us here," she said.

"I don't think he wants to hurt her," Jim said, keeping his vivid green eyes on Honey. "He wants her to run away with him and help him build an empire. At least, that's what he was spouting off about when I hung up on him."

"I won't do that," Honey said, her voice taut. "You know I would never."

"I know." He nodded. "We better try and get some sleep. I know it's still pretty early, but no telling what tomorrow will bring." He held his hand out to Trixie, but she shook her head. "Trix?"

"I couldn't sleep yet. I'm too wired." She glanced at Honey. "We'll watch a movie or something and come up later."

Jim seemed hesitant to accept that, but finally nodded and bent down to kiss the top of her head. "If you need me, yell," he said. "Nothing scary," he warned, looking at them both.

"Promise." Trixie gave a solemn nod.

"Life is scary right now. I don't need a scary movie," Honey said, biting her lip and wishing she could stop the annoying habit. "We promise."

"All right." He turned and left the room. Trixie waited half a heartbeat and looked at Honey.

"What?"

"I need junk food. Come on." Trixie bounded off the couch. Honey frowned but got up and followed her out to the kitchen.

"I'm not that hungry—what are you doing?" Honey asked, watching her friend pull her coat on.

"We're going out to see what those balls of light were doing," Trixie said. "Shh, and hurry, before Jim comes to check on us." Her eyes sparked with excitement, but Honey wasn't convinced.

"Jim explicitly said to stay away from them, Trix. He's going to kill us."

"No he won't, and we'll be back before he knows we're gone. Come on." Trixie trotted to the back door and pulled her sneakers on. "Hurry up," she urged.

"I don't know about this," Honeys said, shaking her head. "I don't think the balls of light will hurt us, but I don't know that for sure. And couldn't Creech or one of his people show up and do something? We better stay inside." She didn't want to sound like a wimp, but everything her friends had told her about the dark arts made them sound dangerous, and she didn't want her or Trixie to get injured.

Trixie grinned. "Where's your sense of adventure? I mean, _you're_ the one who's gone into the woods on her own, and you're the one who Dan caught trying to go into them again this morning."

Honey sighed. "Yes, but that was before I knew all about these dark arts and the fact that people want to hurt us to keep us from changing them."

"Well, I'm going out there. Jim likes to treat me like I'm made out of glass, but I'm not." There was defiance in Trixie's voice now. "So whether you come along or not, I'm going." She opened the door and stepped outside. A rush of chilled air blew in, and Honey groaned and grabbed her coat, slipping it on and then pulling her sneakers on. Trixie grinned when she came out. "I knew you couldn't resist," she teased.

"No, I couldn't let you come out here on your own. If something happened, I'd never forgive myself," Honey retorted. The wind was up, and it rattled through the old tree branches, sending cascades of yellow and orange leaves to the ground.

"Whatever. Do you see the lights?" Trixie's enthusiasm was easily catchable, and Honey couldn't help grinning a little. This _was_ more exciting than staying in the house.

"Um," Honey breathed out, and turned in a slow circle. At first she saw nothing but the inky dark of night, but small smudges of yellowish light began to dance out from beneath the trees at the far end of the lawn, and she pointed toward them. "There. I see four, no five of them."

"Let's go." Trixie started in their direction and Honey reluctantly followed. She glanced back toward the house, and even tried to send Jim a mental message, but no lights flashed on in the upstairs bedroom she knew to be his and Trixie's. "So, where are they from here?" Trixie asked, stopping near the tree line.

The lights were bouncing and jiving around further in the woods, but Honey wasn't sure if she should tell Trixie that. She didn't want to be responsible for them getting hurt, and when Jim found out what they'd done, he'd be furious. "I think we should go back."

"Look, Honey, we're going to be in a war in a very short time," Trixie said. Her voice had grown quieter, steelier. "If you're afraid of this, then we need to train that fear out of you."

"Train it out of me? Maybe that fear will keep us alive," Honey said, backing up a step. "I'm not going into the woods, Trix."

"Fine." Trixie started forward, the wind ruffling her hair. "Suit yourself." A few steps in, and she disappeared into the gloom.

"Trix. Trixie!" Honey whispered, but sighed when she got no answer. _Damn her._ She stepped into the woods, and saw the glowing lights surrounding Trixie. They were bobbing and dancing, but didn't seem at all threatening. _I told Jim they weren't here to hurt us._ The lights zoomed over to Honey and weaved around her, casting her entire body in yellowed light.

"Where are the lights now?" Trixie asked.

"They're all around me. You can't see them, not at all?"

"Nope. I'll take your word for it. But why are they here? What do they want?"

"I don't know."

"Well, ask them or something."

Honey huffed out a breath, watching as it developed into steam. "All right, little balls of light, what do you want? What are you trying to show me?"

The lights shot away from her and raced deeper into the woods. Honey sighed. "I don't know, Trix. They just took off. Besides, we're getting kind of far from the house. I mean, if we need to scream for Jim or something."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Oh please. We're not on the same side of the road as the woods where all the creepy stuff went down. We're fine." She pointed. "Did the lights go that way?"

Very reluctantly, Honey nodded. Trixie took off at a jog, and she followed, not happy with how this was going. Were the lights really leading them somewhere? What would they find? And how much further did they have to go? Trixie abruptly stopped, and held up a hand. Honey came up beside her and listened, but didn't hear anything.

"What is it?" she whispered and Trixie shook her head, putting her finger to her lips. Honey frowned and strained to hear whatever it was her friend had heard. The air was colder now, biting and nipping at her cheeks, lips, and ears, and she cupped her hands around her mouth and nose and blew on them, trying to keep warm. The balls of light darted toward them and cut away, and she knew, somehow, that they wanted the women to follow them. "Trix." She touched the blonde's arm and started following the lights. Trixie fell in behind her. The lights led them deeper into the woods, further away from the house and also from the woods on the opposite side of the road. The ground became harder and the way more treacherous, and Honey stumbled several times, her hazel eyes glued to the lights.

The wind was harsher here, and wisps of sounds started to drift through Honey's ears. She paused, and glanced at Trixie, who nodded, her blue eyes wide and wary. A rush of wind almost knocked the girls off their feet, and Honey took a step back. Maybe it had been a mistake to follow the lights here. Maybe they were malevolent, after all. The noises came again, a sort of chanting sound, and the hairs stood on the back of her neck as her breathing shallowed out.

"What the hell are you two doing here?"

The voice, deep and angry, made both women jump and squeal, and Honey found herself staring up into Brian's snapping dark eyes. "Well?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We were following the lights," Trixie said, lifting her chin in defiance. "We wanted to know what they wanted, why they keep coming to Honey."

Brian frowned and looked at Honey. "And they led you here?"

She nodded. "Did you hear the noises?"

"That's why I'm here," he said. "You two need to get out of here and go back to the house. Now."

But Trixie wasn't about to abandon her older brother. "No. You shouldn't be here by yourself, and we still don't know what's going on with the lights. We're staying."

"He's not by himself." Dan stepped out of the thicket of trees to their right and stared both women down. "He's right: you need to go home, Trix."

"Yeah, well, we're not," she argued. Brian motioned to her to keep her voice down, and she glared at him before adding, "Honey's the only one who can see the lights, so she might be the only one who can see what's making the noises."

Dan sighed and looked at Brian. "She has a point. We haven't seen anything yet, and we've been here for an hour."

"No." Brian shook his head. "They're not safe here."

Honey took a deep breath and reached out to touch his forearm, drawing his dark gaze to her. "You promised me you wouldn't get overprotective. Trixie's right – maybe I'm the only one who can see what's making the noise."

"I don't think it's worth the risk," Brian countered.

"You and Dan are here. Trix and I are safe as long as you guys are with us," Honey said. She put just a hint of steel in her voice. Now that they were out there, she was determined to stay and see just what was going on. "Maybe we'll find something out that can help us against Creech."

Again, Dan was the one to give support to the women. "She's right, Belden. We need her here, and Trixie too. She's got the instincts that we don't."

Brian sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "All right, I'm outgunned. But you two," he pointed at the women, "stay with us. No going out ahead of us. Got me?"

"We got you," Trixie said, grinning. "So, what do you two think is going on?"

"Not sure," Dan said, shrugging. "We think this is where Creech and some of his buddies are meeting, but we haven't seen anything. Heard the weird noises, though."

"Us too," Honey said. The wind gusted again, and Brian shifted over a step to try and block it from the two women. "Should we move closer?" Her confidence was boosted by having the men there, and now that she was this far into the woods, she really wanted to find out what was going on.

"Stay close," Brian told her and started moving. Trixie fell into step with Dan, and Honey walked with Brian. The odd chanting noises, not quite like voices, rose higher on the wind, only to die again, and Honey shuddered. Brian glanced at her and reached out to take her hand, giving it a firm squeeze.

They moved through the dark until they reached a small clearing. There were five men, all dressed in blue jeans and flannel shirts, some wearing sturdy winter hats, and they were talking quietly among themselves. Honey could make out Edward Creech, and a small ripple of unease went through her. Why were the men here? What were they doing? Were they planning an attack or something? One of the men suddenly stiffened and turned toward them, and they quickly moved back into the dark of the tree line.

"Someone's out there," one of the men said.

"I know who it is," Creech said, his voice gravelly. "Ms. Wheeler, why don't you come out? The others would be interested in meeting you."

Honey jumped when he said her name, and Brian whispered, "It's okay." She looked up at him and saw the protective glint in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. They were safe, for now.

"I must insist, Ms. Wheeler," Creech called again. "We can make things unpleasant for you otherwise." His voice seemed closer, and Brian led Honey and the others further back into the trees.

Lightning flashed overhead, and seconds later, thunder boomed. Honey jumped again and took a step closer to Brian. Creech called to her again as a lightning strike hit close nearby, the roar of thunder nearly deafening them. The smell of smoke wafted on the wind, and Honey wondered if they were in too far over their heads. Did Creech control the weather? Did one of the other men? A gust of wind hit them hard, and Brian wrapped his arms around her, and she pressed her head against his chest as the cold air swirled and danced around them.

"You can't protect her forever, Dr. Belden." Creech's voice rose above the noise, and Honey shuddered and felt Brian's arms tighten around her. "At some point, you're all going to fail."

"We should leave," Dan called out.

"We can't run from them," Brian said, shaking his head. The wind died suddenly, leaving leaves fluttering all around them to the ground. Dan and Trixie moved closer to them, and Honey glanced over her shoulder. Edward Creech was coming toward them, his men right behind. Brian turned and put Honey behind him, and though she didn't want him to get hurt because of her, it was nice to have a guy want to protect her like this. "Stay away from us," Brian said. His voice was hard and cold.

"I only wish to address your visionary," Edward said. "Besides, _you're_ the ones who are trespassing – not us."

Honey peeked out around Brian's arm, and he held it out, trying to keep her behind him. But seeing Creech here, in a stare down with her friends, and knowing he might hurt them if she didn't show herself, gave her the courage to move out from behind Brian and face the older man down.

Creech smiled, cold and calloused. "Well, well, Ms. Wheeler. I really didn't think you'd be brave enough to show yourself."

"Honey, stay back," Brian said, but he didn't make an attempt to move her behind him again. He simply took a half-step closer to her.

"Honey. Well, that's an amusing nickname," Creech said. His men stood silent and motionless behind him, but they watched Honey and her friends with intensity. "You followed the balls of light out here, didn't you? They must've wanted us to meet."

"My name is Madeleine," she told him, desperately trying to keep her voice steady. "What are you doing out here?"

His smile faded. "I'll be asking the questions, _Honey_ ," he said. "Those balls of light, they aren't your friends, you know. They're actually quite malicious little devils, once you get to know them." He motioned off to the side, and she saw several of the glowing lights. They bobbed and weaved around one another, and as she watched, their subtle yellow light changed to a dull red, and chills washed through her. "See? You're so naïve, aren't you?" Creech looked at Brian. "Pinning your hopes of defeating us on her, Doctor? Not smart."

"We're going to beat you," Trixie said, her voice hot. "No matter what we have to do."

Honey heard the others talking, but her focus was on the lights. They moved steadily closer to her, and she could feel the heat generating off them. She reached out to them, and one of them jumped at her, close enough her hand passed through it. Gasping in surprise she stumbled backward and Brian wrapped an arm around her, holding her tight to his side.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I think so," she said and looked at Creech. "What are they, really? Are they spirits?"

He smiled, and she wanted to back away from the frightening things she saw in his eyes. "They may be spirits, Ms. Wheeler, or they may be devils. One can never be sure about the lights." He turned and said over his shoulder, "We'll be seeing one another very soon." He and his men started walking back toward the clearing.

"That's it? We're just letting them go?" Trixie asked, pointing after them.

"There's not much to do, Trix," Brian said, shaking his head. "We've never done this before, and we don't know what it will look like." He let go of Honey but gave her shoulder a squeeze. "What happened to the lights, Honey?"

"They turned red," she said. Her heart rate had almost returned to normal, but she was watching the lights. They'd moved closer to her, and she wasn't sure what to think of them now. Were they malicious? Would they hurt her? Hurt her friends?

"We better go," Dan said, "just in case Creech calls in reinforcements."

"You're right." Brian took Honey's hand and tugged. "We'll walk you girls back, make sure you get back home safely."

Trixie started grumbling, but Honey was grateful for the guys' attention. The lights kept following them, and as they bobbed and weaved and danced around her, she found herself hoping that perhaps Creech was wrong, and that the lights meant no harm. _Maybe,_ she told herself, _they're protectors or something._ And just maybe, when the fighting went down, they'd help her against Creech.


	11. Chapter 11

I don't own Trixie Belden and Co.

Sorry for the delay; I was attempting to finish up a novel. It's getting close to being done, but I was anxious to get back to this story. For those waiting for the romance factor to get upped, this is for you. Brian and Honey will be much closer after this romantically. Hope you all enjoy :-)

 **SINISTER**

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN:**

Jim was waiting on the front porch when they got back, his arms crossed over his broad chest, a glare deep in his emerald eyes. Trixie muttered under her breath to Dan and moved to intercept her husband as he came down the steps. "What the hell were you doing?" he growled.

"We were following the lights," Honey said, stepping forward. She didn't want Jim taking out his anger all on Trixie. "We wanted to see where they'd take us."

Jim leveled a look on her that should've dropped her to her knees. "I wasn't asking _you_."

"Take it down a notch," Dan said. His voice had a line of steel in it. "Brian and I were out there with them."

"Did you two know they were out there in the woods when you left?" Jim asked, looking at Trixie. When she didn't answer, he said, "I thought so. Get in the house."

"Stop." Brian's voice was ice. "They just wanted to see what the balls of light were up to. They were safe." He put his hand on Honey's shoulder.

Jim muttered beneath his breath. "We're on the edge of a battle, and you think it's okay that they were traipsing around the woods, by themselves?" He barked out a short hard laugh. "I thought you cared more than that."

Brian took a step forward, and Honey could feel the anger radiating from him. "I do care. You know that. But Honey needs to get comfortable with her gift, and they didn't get hurt. You have to learn to trust them."

"Trust." Jim snorted. "I _trusted_ that they were going to watch a movie. I didn't realize they just wanted to sneak out of the house."

"Jim, stop it." Trixie's voice was hard. "It was my idea to go out. We need to know what those balls of light are, and if we can trust them or not. We were fine. Honey and I are not, contrary to your belief, helpless."

"She's right," Honey added. "You keep telling me I have this incredible gift I can use to even the playing field and help us win, but you don't want me to learn about it. The lights didn't want to hurt us."

Jim took a breath and huffed it out. "All right, fine. I can see I'm outvoted here." He looked at Brian and Dan. "What were _you_ two doing out there?"

"Watching a gathering of Creech and friends," Dan said. "We followed them out into the woods, and they were having some kind of ceremony."

"There were some weird noises, and they were chanting," Brian said, nodding. "They confronted us."

Jim's eyes narrowed. "Did he try anything?"

"No, he basically just told us that Honey can't help us," Dan said. He glanced at her. "Which I don't believe, by the way. I think he's nervous now that we have a visionary on our side."

Jim sighed. "We need to come up with some strategy once the Beldens get here." He looked at Trixie. "You and Honey are probably exhausted. Why don't you go inside, and I'll be there in a couple minutes."

"I need to talk to Honey alone," Brian said. He took her hand and walked her over by the vehicles. She leaned up against her 4-Runner and waited for him to speak, nervous that she might be in more trouble for following the lights. "Are you really okay? Did the lights do something to you?" he asked, his voice low and concerned. "You seemed shaken back there, which is understandable, with Creech confronting us."

"I think I'm okay," she said, her voice low too. "I just want to know what the lights are, and why they keep coming to me. And," she looked down at the ground, "I'm afraid that the prophecy might be right, that I won't be any good to you guys, and might make it worse."

He tipped her chin up and said, "Don't listen to that. I believe you can help us. Creech is just trying to get under your skin."

She nodded, but was still unsettled about the whole thing. "But what if he's right? What if I can't do whatever it is you guys think I can?" She could feel the panic whelming up inside her chest, threatening to make her break her down.

Brian put his hand on her cheek, and the instant warmth of his touch calmed her a little. "It's going to be all right. I promise. I know you can do what needs to be done, Honey. And I'm here to help you, to protect you, if you need it." He smiled. "Like I told you before, I'm interested in you, and want to get to know you better, but right now, we have to focus on beating Creech and his group."

"I know." She nodded. "And I like you, too, but I'm pretty damaged, after everything I went through with Kyle." She'd understand if he decided she was _too_ damaged. She watched as his face grew grim.

"I don't care about that," he said. "I'm sorry he hurt you, and I'll have words with him someday about that. But whatever happened, it's made you a stronger person." He ran his finger gently along her jawline, and her stomach exploded with butterflies. "I should let you go, it's freezing out here." He stepped back and took hold of her hand again. "If you need to talk, anytime, know that you can call or text me," he added as he led her back toward the others.

"Same here," she said, trying to concentrate on his words and not the tingly feelings his hand on her face had ignited. Try as she might, she knew she was too drawn to Brian to stay away from him.

"We should go," Brian told Dan, who nodded. "We'll see you guys tomorrow," he added, and gave Honey a quick hug. She wanted to nestle into his arms, and chided herself for that. This wasn't the time or place, and they still didn't know one another that well. Still, they were being thrown together by this coming war between the Conjurers, and she wanted to be closer to him. He kissed the top of her head and let go of her, and he and Dan started down the driveway. Honey watched them go until Jim cleared his throat, and she reluctantly tore her gaze from the tall dark-haired doctor and followed Jim and Trixie inside.

She figured Jim would get after her and Trix again, but he just hugged them both and started upstairs. Trixie hugged her too, whispered that she'd had fun, and followed him. Honey was too restless to go to bed, so she sat in the living room, in Jim's old recliner, and rocked, trying to wrap her head around everything that had happened in the last couple days. Finding out she had what was basically akin to a super power was mind-blowing, and scary. And it was drawing Kyle to her again. She sighed and pulled her legs up beneath her.

Would Kyle come here? Would he try to force her into going with him? What scared her most about that scenario was how vibrant he was, how manipulative. Would she be able to withstand seeing him again, and not be lured into his trap of brilliantness? She put her head back. _I really want to talk to Brian, but he's got to be exhausted._ And she was determined not to be _that_ girl, the one who needed comforting and mollycoddling all the time. If she called him now, that's what she'd be seeking, not just moral support. Deciding things might look different in the morning, she headed upstairs to try and sleep.

She fell asleep faster than she'd thought she would, but it wasn't long before the peacefulness of sleep gave way to dark nightmares, twisted and gnarled, dragging her into their depths until she wasn't sure if she'd be able to escape them. When she finally woke, gasping for air, feeling like she'd been fighting for her life, she wondered if somehow they were part of her visionary powers. Frightened by that prospect, she couldn't fall back to sleep, and got up to take a shower. The warm water did help soothe her, but the nightmares remained, flashing through her mind.

After dressing, she made her way downstairs. It was just six AM, later than what she'd thought, and both Jim and Trix were still sleeping. She made coffee and took a mug into the living room. It was dark, the black just starting to edge with the orange and gold of the sunrise. She stood at the window, watching, not knowing what it was she sought. Her body was tight with tension, and she thought about taking a drive, just to get out of the house. But as she turned to go, something ran across the yard. She gasped and set her mug down, her eyes glued to the yard. Whatever she'd seen, it'd been big and black as midnight, and fast.

There was a knock at the back door. She jumped and spun around, heart in her throat. The knock came again, heavy and stiff, and she made her way back into the kitchen, barely breathing. She looked out the windows above the sink, but they were too far from the door to offer any kind of view, and she finally took a deep breath. Whatever was out there, she could face it. She opened the door, just a little, and peered out.

Nothing greeted her. She sighed and opened the door wider. Had she imagined the knocking? Had she imagined the thing running across the yard? She began to shut the door, and found something holding it open. Frowning, she pulled harder on it, and her heart jumped when something black began oozing across the porch toward the door, something oily and vile, and she pulled as hard as she could. Whatever that was, it was bad, and she couldn't let it get into the house.

Someone spoke, and the creature, because that's what it _had_ to be, stopped and coiled into a puddle. Honey sucked in air, finding it hard to breathe, and looked up. A man stood there, a hard look on his face. He was solidly-built, and she realized he was one of Creech's men.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" she asked, impressed that she could speak.

He made a motion, and the black oily thing leapt at her. She jumped back, crying out, and the thing narrowly missed her feet. The man spoke again, a strange language, and the creature recoiled. He looked up at Honey. "Dangerous times," he said, his voice a low rumble. "You're in over your head."

"Get off our property," she said. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to look tough.

"Be best if you left," the man said. He turned to go, and the oily creature slithered away after him.

She stood watching as they crossed the lawn and headed into the woods, and she screamed when a pair of strong hands descended on her slim shoulders.

"Easy, Hon," Jim said, concerned. "What happened? Why are you up?"

"Jim." She turned and burrowed into his arms, needing, at that moment, a place to feel safe. And no one had ever made her feel safer than her surrogate brother. He wrapped his arms around her and moved backward, bringing her with him into the house. He shut the door, and slid his hands up and down her arms, trying to soothe her.

"What happened?" he asked.

"There was someone here, one of Creech's men, and he had this, this _thing_ with him. It looked like an oily black snake, but it wasn't like anything I've ever seen." She pulled back from him. "It had to be dark magic."

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "It's not exactly like—"

"I know. I know you said it's not exactly magic. But whatever it is, it's bad." She turned away and saw Trixie enter the room.

"What happened?" Trix asked. Honey explained what had happened, and saw Trixie exchange a loaded look with Jim.

"What's going on? Do you two know that guy, or what that thing is?" Honey asked. She was calming down from her fright, and now wanted answers. She wanted to know everything.

"That's Paul Avery," Jim said. "And that thing, that creature, is an animus, a creature born out of hatred and magic."

"You said it's not magic," Honey told him.

He took a deep breath. "I know. And that's not exactly what it is, but that's as close to an explanation as I can get. They're horrible creatures. The Conjurers who are strong enough to wield one can use them for all kinds of things. One of the more popular things they did with them was using them for drowning people. The animus can crawl into a person's throat and down into the lungs, and it's liquid, of course, and you drown. Then it slithers its way back out, and no one is the wiser. The Conjurers used them for killing a lot of people over the years." His voice was hard. "Did it touch you?"

"No, it just jumped at me," Honey said, shivering. "What else can it do?"

"It can burn you," Trixie said. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "It can smother you, too – it will just hold itself over your mouth and nose until you suffocate. They're nasty little creatures."

"I saw something big run across the yard right before this guy and his critter showed up," Honey said, "but the thing I was saw was huge."

Jim made an uneasy sound in his throat. "Then Paul's more powerful than we'd originally thought," he said, glancing at Trixie, who nodded. Her face had gotten paler. "That bigger thing you saw was the animus, too – Paul has enough power and control now to make it shape shift, which is a very, very bad thing."

"We better call the group together and let them know, because this changes how we're going to do things," Trixie said. She walked over and poured two mugs of coffee, and handed one to Jim. Honey excused herself and went into the living room to retrieve her own mug, knowing she was going to need to caffeine.

"I called Brian and Mart, let them know what we're dealing with," Jim said, when Honey rejoined them. "I told Brian you were okay," he added. "He was upset."

Honey shuddered. "I wouldn't have opened the door if I'd known what and who was out there," she said.

"Why did you?" Trixie asked.

"Someone knocked on the door. I'm surprised you guys didn't hear it," she said.

Jim's face darkened. "You opened the door? Why would you do that? You know how dangerous things are right now."

Honey frowned at him. "Yes, but seriously, who would be here at six AM? There wasn't anyone out there, but when I tried to close the door, that animus thing crawled up on the porch, and I couldn't close the door."

"Did Paul threaten you with it?" Trixie asked.

"It jumped at me, and he was speaking in some language I didn't understand," she told her. She shivered. "But how does that thing really change our battle plans?" Not that that they'd had any, anyway. They hadn't really discussed what a battle with Creech and his men would look like.

"It's powerful," Jim said. "It's just about impossible to get rid of. And if it gets near you, if it gets _on_ you, it can kill you very quickly."

"But there's only one, right?"

He set his mug down. "I don't know. Creech's men, like him, are very strong. If they have one animus, they might have two, although I think Paul's the only one I've heard having one." He shrugged. "Even with just that one, though, they've got an advantage."

"Can't we get one?" Honey asked. She frowned in confusion when both Trixie and Jim laughed.

"What?"

"It takes years, Hon, to groom an animus to be ready for battle. "

"But if you've known all along he had it, why didn't you try to kill it?"

"We'd only heard stories, nothing concrete. They are rare today, and we were never certain Paul had one, or if he was just bragging." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I guess we should've checked into it more, but it would've been difficult to prove he had one, or to find it. As you've seen, they're very flexible little monsters."

She was about to say something when the back door banged open and Brian strode in. He went straight to Honey and pulled her into a deep hug, wrapping his strong arms around her and holding her tight to his wide chest. She gave in to her need to snuggle this time, and heard him mutter something under his breath that she couldn't catch. It didn't matter, though – she just wanted to be held by him after the craziness of yesterday and this morning. When he finally let go, he cupped her face gently in his big hands and looked into her golden eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay? The animus didn't touch you, did it?" he asked, and his voice was a dark rumble in his chest, full of anger.

"No," she said. "But Jim and Trixie told me what it's capable of." Her voice shook, just a little, and he immediately took her back into his arms.

"I won't let it hurt you," he said. "I promise, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe from it." His voice was low next to her ear, and the warmth of his voice and words washed over her like a tide. "You're going to have to be extremely careful now. Creech will try to use the animus against you."

"But why? I'm not powerful. I mean, I don't even know what I'm doing yet," she whispered, and he gave her a squeeze.

"You're a visionary," he said. He slowly eased her out from his chest. "He's afraid of you, so it makes sense he sent that thing here to try and intimidate you." His voice grew colder. "But like I said, I will do everything I can to protect you from it."

Her chest warmed and her heart skipped with his words, and she reached up and gently touched his cheek. He tilted his head into her hand, and she swallowed hard. She knew she was losing the battle to stay away from him, losing it so damn fast, and it scared her. This was how it had been with Kyle, and that had flamed out and left her ragged. "Brian," she whispered.

His dark eyes bore into her light ones, and he whispered, "It's okay." And he bent his head, his mouth just grazing hers, and her heart jumped and she found herself pressing her mouth to his, wanting, needing, that instant contact, that warmth that he radiated. He held her, one hand on the small of her back, one hand cupping her cheek, and she kissed him until she couldn't anymore, because she had forgotten how to breathe, had forgotten everything but him. He pulled away, slowly, and watched her. "It's all right," he murmured. "I'm not going anywhere."

And she knew then that he too, had thought of Kyle, of what she'd been through at his hands, and she realized, almost startlingly so, that Brian would never leave her like that. He was so different than Kyle, so warm and strong and protective, and she burrowed back into his arms, smiling when he chuckled. He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry now I waited so long to kiss you," he whispered to her. "I didn't realize what it would be like."

"Me either," she whispered against his chest. "This feels more right than anything else in my life."

He hugged her tightly, and she knew then that no matter what they had to face, no matter what Creech and his people threw at them, they would conquer it. They had to, so that they could explore this new relationship of theirs. Never had she felt so strongly about someone. He was _hers_ , and she would fight for him, to the death, if she had to. And she was okay with that feeling, because she knew instinctively that he felt the same toward her.

From somewhere she heard Jim clearing his throat, and reluctantly, she eased out of Brian's hold. He took hold of her hand, though, and kissed the back of it. She blushed, and he grinned. But that grin faded when Trixie set an old book down on the island counter and flipped it open.

"What is that?" Honey asked, moving closer.

"It's about the Conjurers," Jim told her. "There's information in here about the animus."

Honey shuddered and Brian squeezed her hand. "Does it mention how to defeat them?"

"Not so much," Trixie said, shaking her head. "And from what you've described, it's already stronger than what the ones in here were."

"Great," Honey murmured, and Brian let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"We'll defeat it, because we have to," he said. "We should've gone after it before, but we never knew if Paul Avery really had one or not."

"That's what Jim said," Honey said. She leaned against Brian, and even though she wanted to be strong, to be tough for all of them, she was also glad to have him.

"So what's the plan, then?" Brian asked. "Are we still waiting on Mom and Dad to get home before we decide anything?"

"I think we should. Dad will have good ideas," Trixie said.

"I think we should working up a battle plan now," Jim told her. His voice wasn't unfriendly, but it was stern. "Knowing they have an animus, and also knowing Creech will try to take Honey out with it, we need to get something in place. We don't know when the fighting will happen, but it _will_ happen, and I don't want to be caught with our pants around our ankles."

Trixie snorted at that. "You really think Creech will start it? I mean, he has power on his side, we know that. But we're strong. I don't think he's dumb enough to try and start things first." She crossed her arms over her chest and watched her husband as his eyes narrowed.

"I think he's gutsy enough, yeah," Jim said. He looked at Brian. "We'll need to keep an eye on everyone now, and make sure if one of us is out and about, then someone else is with them." He nodded toward Honey. "That goes double for you, Hon. Creech knows you're as powerful as him, and he'll want to take you out."

Her stomach lurched at his words, and Brian's arm tightened around her. "She can stay with me," he said. "I have a few appointments this morning, but she can hang in my office while I get those done."

"I can stay here," Honey said. "I don't think they'd try anything here, would they?" She didn't want to be a damsel in distress.

"Paul brought his animus here." Jim's voice was steely. "They'll attack here if no one is with you. And I have to go see to some things at the school, so she could come with me. Trix, what's on your agenda today?" he asked, looking at his wife.

"Nothing I can't reschedule. Really, if I stay here with Honey, we should be fine. He's not going to openly attack two of us, especially not during daylight hours."

"It has to be dark?" Honey asked, knowing it was a ridiculous question.

"No, but Trix is right: Creech won't want anyone not involved in this to see what he's doing. As far as Sleepyside is concerned, he's just an older teacher, and a local historian," Brian said, nodding. "I can meet up here by noon."

"Me too," Jim said. "Trix, you and Honey hang here then. I'll get a hold of Dan and Hallie, let them know what's going on."

"Sounds like a plan." Brian looked down at Honey. "I'll see you soon. Stay inside, stay safe." He tipped her chin up and kissed her, his lips gentle on hers. "I'll be in touch," he told Jim and turned to go. But he took a step and jolted to a stop, and Honey saw his whole frame tighten. "The animus," he said, his teeth gritted. "It's here."

Jim immediately moved to his side. "You can feel it?"

"Yes," Brian bit out. "I'm not leaving, not with that thing out there."

"Me either." Jim glanced back at the girls. "Go into the living room, but stay away from the bay window." The firm command in his voice left the two women no choice but to do as told. Honey followed Trixie into the other room, and she gasped when she looked out the window, grabbing Trixie's arm.

"Look," she said.

At least a dozen people wearing black clothes stood on the lawn. Edward Creech stood in front of them all, a disquieting look on his face. As they watched, he lifted a hand toward the house, and they could hear chanting. The old farm house began to shake beneath their feet.

"Trixie," Honey said, fear in her voice. She waited for Trixie to tell her it was all right, that Creech couldn't hurt them here, just like Brian had said, but the blonde remained quiet, and Honey began to realize that this was it, the beginning of the war they'd all been so worried about. She moved toward the bay window, ignoring Jim's order to stay away from it. If Creech wanted to start things, then he could look her in the eye as he did it.

"Honey!" Brian's voice was short and steely. "Get away from the window."

"No. If he wants to start something now, he can look me in the eyes," she said. She stayed at the window, and soon he was beside her, one hand at her waist. Creech pointed at them, and the chanting increased, as did the shaking of the old house.

"Where's Jim?" Trixie asked.

"In the kitchen, keeping an eye on the animus," Brian told her. "Stay here with us. He doesn't want you out there."

"What do we do?" Honey asked him, her voice soft. She was taking deep breaths, trying to stay calm. She didn't even know how to fight, so what would she do if Creech attacked?

"We stay in here, and hope he gets bored," Brian said. "Don't worry. He won't come in, not with the four of us here. He's just putting on a show."

"But the animus is here," she whispered.

"I know, but I think that's just for show right now," he said. "Don't worry – I will not let that thing hurt you." His voice had a growl in it.

As the house shook around them, and the chanting began to increase, all she could do was lean into Brian's hold and pray that this passed soon.


	12. Chapter 12

_I don't own Trixie Belden and Co. I'm just amusing myself with them._

 _Merry Christmas, everyone! Thank you to those still hanging in there with this story, and for the nice reviews. I wish you all a very wonderful, merry Christmas, and a happy New Year! I probably won't have time to update for a week or so, but hang in there. Honey still has a lot to accomplish yet!_

 **SINISTER _  
_**

 **CHAPTER TWELVE** **:**

The shaking increased, and Honey reached out to take Brian's hand, squeezing it hard for reassurance. Creech was walking toward the house, his eyes on her. Brian took a step forward and put himself in front of her, and she tugged on his hand. "Let him see me," she urged. "I'm not afraid of him."

"You should be," he muttered but moved back. He stayed close to her side, though. Something suddenly jumped at the window, and she cried out, jerking away from it.

"The animus," Jim called from behind them. "Be careful."

Brian closed his eyes and let go of Honey's hand. She looked up at him, saw the tension in his face and body, and wondered if he was reaching out toward their enemies, trying to cause them to turn away. The animus jumped at the window again, this time sticking to it, a shiny oily stain, and bile rose up in Honey's throat. She forced it down, and took a tiny step toward the window.

"Honey, no," Trixie cried out.

A tremor raced through Honey, and she was suddenly overcome with a sick feeling of dread and fear. Her heart started hammering, and she stumbled backward into Jim, who had come up to stand behind her. "Easy," he murmured. "Trix, stay behind me," he added. Honey tried to fight off the fear, but it was consuming her, burning through her, and she finally turned into Jim's arms, burrowing deep into them. "This isn't good. Brian," he said, his voice sharp.

"I know," Brian ground out. "Hang on."

Honey wasn't sure what was happening, only that she was absolutely terrified. She tried to remember that it wasn't real, that she wasn't in any danger, because her friends and Brian wouldn't let that happen, but the more she tried to push the fear away, the more it crowded into her psyche, paralyzing her.

"Damn it," Jim growled. He turned so that Honey was further from the window. "Trixie, take her. Get her upstairs."

"No," Honey breathed out, clinging to him.

"Hey," Jim said, and tipped her chin up. She saw the resolve in his vivid emerald eyes. "You're safe, Hon. I know they're doing something to you, making you afraid. It's all right. Just go upstairs with Trix. Brian and I will handle this." It was an order more than anything else, and she reluctantly started to let go of him.

But then the animus threw itself against the window again, and this time it was larger, and covered the whole window. Behind her, she could hear Trixie mumbling, and Jim reached for her, too. "Brian," he said, his voice sharper, angrier.

"Get them upstairs," Brian said. His voice was heavy with fury, and Honey looked at him. His whole frame shook with tension, and she could see he was sweating.

 _I have to help him._ The thought blazed across her mind, and suddenly she was free of the fear and dread. She pulled away from Jim and went to Brian, wrapping her arms around his waist. "It's okay," she breathed. "Just concentrate. It's okay."

He didn't relax, but his breathing evened out. She closed her eyes, focusing on the group outside, trying to picture them. _There. I see eight of them, all men. And the animus._ She shuddered but forced herself to keep locked onto the vision in her head. Seeking the one who Brian was fighting, she saw in her mind a figure in the back, a shorter man whose eyes were also closed. His left hand was stretched out toward the house. _He's the one who has the empathy powers. But how do I disrupt him? I need something, a weapon or something._ Suddenly the balls of light surged into her vision, and she gasped, feeling Brian reach around her. _Get him,_ she directed the lights. _Take out their empath._

She opened her eyes to see a number of lights rushing through the air toward the man in the back. They swarmed him, and he started batting at the air, his eyes flying open. Brian jerked next to her. The man went down on his knees, and she could see the lights bouncing into him, driving him down further into the grass. They covered his whole body now, and she realized they were seriously harming him. She closed her eyes. _Enough! Stop._ The lights backed away, spinning in circles above him.

"Honey." Brian's voice was ragged and he was breathing hard. "What did you do?"

Her eyes flew open and she saw that Creech and his men were retreating, two of them hoisting the empath to his feet and half-carrying him out of the yard. The animus was nowhere to be seen. "The lights. They came to help," she said, her voice quiet. "I didn't know they would be so violent." She couldn't find it in her to be upset with them, though – that man had been hurting Brian and herself, hurting Trix and Jim.

"Genius," Jim said, touching her shoulder. "Nice job."

"Are you guys okay?" Honey asked, turning to face them.

"I'm okay." Trixie's voice was full of anger. "I couldn't do anything, though – he had me feeling completely useless."

"That's his job," Brian said, sighing. He ran a hand through his damp hair. "That was intense. I really didn't expect them to attack in the open like this." He met Jim's eyes. "This is the start of it, now. We need to get the others together."

"We will. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Brian reached out and touched Honey's face. "Thank you. I needed your help."

She blushed. "You're welcome," she said. "I wasn't sure what else to do."

"Well, you did good," he said. He turned to Jim. "I'm going to call Mart and tell him what's going on."

"Okay." Jim nodded, turned to Trixie. He put his arms around her, and Honey knew they needed a moment to themselves. She headed into the kitchen, Brian right behind her. As he called his younger brother, speaking in low tones, she started making raspberry tea. She leaned on the sink, looking out the big window behind it, her eyes sweeping the woods on the edge of the lawn.

That had been exciting, but frightening. That feeling of fear and dread had nearly drowned her in its depths, and she shuddered. The only thing that had pulled her out of it was seeing Brian so worked up, of hearing the adrenaline-laced fury in his voice. She glanced over her shoulder at him. It seemed so childish now, so stupid, that decision to not get close to him. He wasn't Kyle, not in any way, shape, or form and she knew instinctively that he could be trusted with her heart. Their fiery kiss had only sealed that confirmation. He turned, met her eyes, and a small smile broke across his face. She smiled in response.

"Mart's going to call the others," he said, walking over to her. He hugged her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "You hanging in there?" His voice was warm and sweet, curling itself around her like a blanket.

"Barely," she whispered. His arms tightened around her. "I'm a little scared of the lights, to be honest. I think they would've killed him if I hadn't told them to back off." There was a shake in her voice.

"Were you surprised they helped you?"

"Yes," she whispered. She snuggled in closer to his chest. "Their empath is really strong, isn't he?"

He was silent for a moment or two. "Yeah," he finally said. "Stronger than I am right now." He rubbed a hand up and down her back. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better than that."

She pulled back and looked up at him. "You did the best you could, Brian," she said. "None of us know what we're doing, but we'll get better, stronger."

He kissed her temple. "We'll have to do it in a hurry. If Creech is bold enough to attack us out here, in broad daylight, then who knows where they'll attack again."

"Is Sleepyside safe?"

"I don't know," he said, shrugging. "We'll do the best we can to protect it." His phone beeped and he eased away from her, turning as he answered. "No, we're fine. Yeah, I'm sure. They have an animus, though. Yeah, I know. She did good. She stopped their empath." He glanced at her, a sparkle in his deep brown eyes.

Honey smiled, but it faded as soon as he looked away. Now that they'd had their first real run-in with Creech, she knew she would be able to help out, as long at the lights came to her aide. But what if they didn't? Creech had said they might be good, or bad. _If they're bad, though, why help me against Creech?_ She was still uneasy over how fast they'd taken the empath down, how they'd totally covered his body and hurt him. She hadn't wanted to really hurt anyone, she just wanted them to quit hurting _them._

The back door opened and Mart strode in, Dan right behind him. They stopped short at the sight of her, and she offered them a timid smile. She didn't know these two that well and still wasn't sure she should trust Dan. Brian had said Dan had secrets he was keeping. Brian got off the phone and walked over to them, shaking both of their hands. "Where are Di and Hallie?" he asked.

"At work," Dan said. "We figured Creech would have to be crazy to do something in town."

"Let's hope so," Mart said.

"I just talked to Bobby. He's on his way home." Brian sounded stressed. "I really didn't want him to come, but he said he can help."

"With an animus in the mix, we'll need all the help we can get," Dan said, nodding. He looked at Honey. "So how'd you do?"

"I stopped their empath," she said, her voice quiet.

"Really." Dan looked at Brian. "Not bad. How?"

"With the lights," Brian said. He looked at Mart. "Didn't you fill him in?"

"No." Mart walked over to the fridge and opened it. "This is completely ludicrous. They have absolutely _no_ junk food in here."

"Because it's up _here_ , lame brain brother of mine," Trixie said tartly as she and Jim walked into the room. She went to the cupboard next to the fridge and tapped it. She looked like she was feeling better about what had happened. "And by the way, that whole thing sucked. I really hate their empath after that."

"We all do," Brian said, glancing at Honey. "I know he messed with all of you, and I'm sorry about that. I thought I'd have better control, but he's stronger than I am."

"And I told you we'll all get stronger," Honey said, moving closer to him and touching his cheek.

"So you two seem pretty fond of one another," Dan said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We are," Brian said, his voice firm. "And she's right: we all need to do whatever we can to get stronger. The next time, they might not back off."

"Can we just appreciate the fact that we won this round first?" Trixie asked. She was leaning against the kitchen counter next to Mart, who was happily munching through a bag of chips. "Moms texted me and said she and Dad will be here by this afternoon. They'll meet us at Mart's."

"And Bobby will be home tonight," Brian said. "We need to circle the wagons, though. That animus is dangerous, and it can move pretty much undetected by most of us." He glanced down at Honey, and then looked at Dan. "You sure Hallie is safe at the library?"

"She can handle herself," Dan said, nodding. He had gone pale at the mention of the animus, though. "I'll go in and stay with her. I'm off-duty the next two days."

"I think we'd better make camp at your house," Jim said to Mart. "You have the best record against Creech."

"You have higher ground here, though," Mart said, shaking his head. "You've got more open ground – we can see them coming sooner."

"He's right," Trixie said, nodding. "Maybe we'd better circle up here instead. And we've got more room."

"Brian?" Jim looked at his best friend.

"Makes sense." He rolled his shoulder back, groaning. "Why don't we split off and get what we need, then meet back here tonight? Bobby will be here by then, and Moms and Dad. We can talk strategy."

"Works for me," Dan said. "Everyone be careful. I'll go in and hang with Hallie at the library until she's done."

"And I'll go make sure my lovely wife is okay," Mart said, setting the chip bag down. "You may want to get more groceries, sis, if we're all camping out here."

"Ugh." Trixie poked his arm. "Bring your own food, you beast."

He flashed a grin at her, and he and Dan left. Honey had been quiet while they'd made plans, and she wasn't sure whether she liked the idea of them all gathering in one place, under one roof. "Is it safe for all of us to be together?" she finally asked, drawing the others' attention. "I mean, if Creech knows we're all here, won't he just double his attack?" She couldn't help the worry in her voice, or the anxiousness in her stomach.

Brian put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I see your point," he said. "But I think since none of us really know what we're doing, it's better to stay together than be separated." He looked at Jim.

"Brian's right," the redhead agreed. "And we do have higher ground here, and it's more open. Mart made valid points on all of that."

Honey nodded, but she still didn't know how she felt about the whole thing. She shuddered, and Brian wrapped his arm around her shoulders, snugging her into his side. "I think we all need to relax," he said, his voice low. "Come on." He led her out of the kitchen and into the living room, and sat her down on the couch. "It's going to be all right," he said, facing her. "You did a great job fending off their empath. I know you'll be able to do it again."

"But the lights were what did it, not me," she said, shaking her head. "All I did was think to myself that I needed a weapon, and they showed up. I don't know if I like being that connected to them."

He sat back on the couch and reached out to take her hand, giving it a strong squeeze. "Whether or not you want to be that connected, you are, sweetheart, for whatever reason. And if it helps us win, it can't be that bad."

She swallowed hard. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was overthinking the lights way too much. She settled back on the couch, leaning against his side. "Did their empath hurt you at all?" she asked.

"He tired me out, trying to hold him back," he admitted. "That was a lot of work, but I'm okay."

"Could the animus get inside the house?"

He looked at her. "It could, yes. You've seen how it moves, and it's liquid. They just haven't allowed it to do that yet. That's why it's so dangerous, why we have to eyes on it." He sighed. "That's really where you'll come in. You can see things the rest of us can't."

And that frightened her. She didn't want to be responsible for protecting them all against that nasty creature. At least it wasn't invisible to them, like the lights were. She shut her eyes for a second, and a searing pain cut across her mind, burning and stabbing. Crying out, she opened her eyes. Everything was blurry, and she felt Brian's hand on her shoulder.

"Honey? What is it?" he asked, alarm in his voice. When she didn't respond, couldn't because of the shooting pains, he said, "Sweetheart, what's going on?"

She blinked her eyes fast, and her vision started to clear, but those fiery pains still sizzled in her mind, and she could feel tears in her eyes. "Pain in my head," she whispered, and Brian settled his hands on either side of her face.

"Relax," he said, his voice low. "Let me help."

Something cool began to wash through her mind, and she breathed deeply in relief. The pains began to subside, and she leaned into Brian's chest, letting him put out the fires in her head.

"Better?" he whispered.

"Better. I don't know what that was, but it hurt so bad," she told him, looking into his deep brown eyes.

"A psychic attack of some kind," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know who has that ability, but it must be someone from Creech's camp." There was anger in his low voice now. "I'm sorry that happened."

"Don't be sorry. You fixed it," she said, touching his face. "You can't protect me from everything, and I don't expect you to." She thought for a moment. "It wasn't from their empath, was it?"

"No. We don't have that kind of power. Ours is just for emotions, and sometimes I can make people feel really warm or cold."

"But how were you able to defuse it then?"

He frowned. "I don't know, really. I just knew I needed to help you." He pressed his forehead to hers. "Are you really okay?"

"Now, yes," she said. She closed her eyes, waited for more pain to shoot across her skull, but it didn't happen. Her phone rang, and she sighed and opening her eyes, sat back from him so she could see who it was. _Kyle. Ugh. What does he want?_ She decided to be brave and answered it. "What do you want, Kyle?"

"That's a hell of a way to answer your phone," he told her. His voice was slippery steel. "Are you feeling any better?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she looked at Brian, seeing a protective glint in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

Kyle laughed. "You get fiery headaches normally, love? I thought I'd reach out to you a little. How did it feel?" There was malice in his voice now. "I want you back, sweetheart, and if you won't come willingly, then I'll _make_ you come back."

"That was you? How?" Her breathing hitched, and Brian immediately reached out to her with his own power, warming her with inner sunshine.

"We all have our talents, love," Kyle said. "Now, how about you agree to come back to me, and we can be done with this nastiness."

"How about you leave me alone? I'm not afraid of you."

He laughed. "Oh sweetie, you have no idea what I can do to you."

Hot stinging pain ricocheted through her mind, like angry wasps swarming, and she did her best not to scream. She could feel Brian's warmth ramping up inside her, but it did nothing to assuage the pain in her mind. She gasped, feeling like she couldn't breathe, and Brian took the phone from her.

"Stop!" he ordered. "Leave her the hell alone." He put his free hand on her cheek, and she knew he was trying to stop the pain, doing whatever it was he could, but this time, it wasn't enough. Kyle had her in his grip, and wasn't letting go.

"Honey." Trixie was suddenly there, putting her hands on Honey's shoulders, squeezing them. "What's going on? Brian?"

Brian had put the phone down. "It's Kyle. He's using a psychic attack on her." There was fear and anger in his deep voice. "I can't stop it this time."

Honey's mind was starting to bend to the pain, and she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. She struggled to fight back, but that wasn't in her wheel house. She knew instinctively that even her lights couldn't help her with this. "Brian," she murmured and succumbed to the pain, collapsing into his strong arms.

When she awoke, Brian was the first person she saw. He was leaning over her, those big brown eyes of his focused on her and full of worry. "Hey," he murmured when she started to stir. "Easy, sweetheart. Take it slow."

"What happened?" she whispered. She glanced around; she was in the sunflower room, and no one else appeared to be there with them.

"Do you remember the psychic attack?"

She nodded, and whispered, "Kyle."

"Yeah." Anger lashed through that one word. "You passed out from the pain, and he must've known and backed off." He touched her cheek. "Jim went into town with Trixie; we think maybe Hallie or Di could defend against more attacks by him. They went in to talk to the others."

"Someone told me they have basically the same power, but they use it differently. I don't understand that," she whispered. "How could they stop a psychic attack?"

He ran his fingers gently through her hair. "They can persuade or coerce people into doing what they want them to do," he said. "But because that's a kind of mind control, we think that means they could also defend against other mind control powers."

"Was that what Kyle was doing, though? It didn't feel like mind control," Honey said. She started to sit up, and Brian frowned.

"I wish you'd rest a while longer," he told her. "There's no threat right now, and he hurt you pretty badly." The anger in his voice burned her.

"Brian, you did the best you could to protect me. Like I said, you won't be able to protect me from everything, and I don't expect you to. That's not how this works," she said, her voice soft. She wanted to make him feel better, defuse that raw anger in his voice and eyes. "We aren't always going to be there to protect one another."

"I know." He shook his head, frustration in his face. "But we've known this was coming for some time now, and it seems like I should have better control of my power, be more useful. I don't want you or the others to get hurt because of my weakness."

Her heart tumbled a little at his words, and because she couldn't think of anything else to say, she took his handsome face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. He immediately responded, but he was gentle, and allowed her to decide how far they were going with this. She knew she could just lose herself to his touch and his mouth, and for a few long moments, she was tempted to do just that. But they were in the beginning stages of a war that could threaten to destroy their lives, and their world, and she reluctantly eased away before things could get too heavy. He hugged her to him, and the wild beat of his heart, the strength of it, calmed her.

"I know I can't promise to always keep you safe," he murmured, "but I promise to always do my best to protect you."

"I know, sweetie," she whispered. "I promise to always do my best for you, too."

He finally let go of her and touched her cheek. "You do need to be careful, though. If Kyle's willing to hurt you just to make you do his will, he'll be willing to hurt the rest of us, too, to get to you."

"Hopefully Diana and Hallie will be able to prevent that," she said. She wasn't sure Hallie would be super excited about having to protect her; the beautiful librarian didn't like her, at all.

"I hope so." He got off the bed and held a hand out to her. "Come on. I want to check in with Jim and Mart and see if there's anything new we need to know."

She let him tug her up off the bed, and followed him downstairs. It was chilly in the house, and he wrapped his arm around her while he called Jim. She snuggled in close to him, and hoped that their little ragtag group would be able to defeat Creech and his group, and knowing it was going to be difficult at best to do so.


	13. Chapter 13

_I don't own Trixie Belden and Co. I'm just borrowing them for entertainment purposes only._

 _Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, and I hope you have a wonderful New Year's :-) Go MSU!_

 **SINISTER**

 **CHAPTER THIRTEEN:**

Honey waited by Brian's side, anxious about meeting Bobby Belden again. She knew his talent was reading people, and what if he didn't like what he read about her? She suspected she was being silly, but she couldn't push aside the nagging thought. Brian looked down at her and gave her waist a squeeze.

"Relax," he whispered.

If only it were that easy. Bobby's truck pulled into Jim's driveway, and the young blond man practically bounded across the lawn. He hugged Trixie and Di and Hallie, shook hands with Mart and Dan and Jim, and stopped in front of Brian and Honey. His grin bled off his handsome face, and he reached out to take Honey's hand. She sucked in a breath – she swore she could _feel_ him inside her head, rooting around, looking for something, anything, to discredit her.

He finally let go of her hand and looked at Brian. "Nice work, bro," he said. "Dating a visionary."

"This is Madeline Wheeler," Brian said, ignoring his youngest brother's comment. "Honey, this is Bobby."

"We've met before," Bobby said, rolling his blue eyes. "And honey – already using pet names. You move fast."

"It's a nickname," Honey said, feeling like she needed to defend her boyfriend.

Bobby smirked. "Yeah, I got that. So, can I call you Sugar, then? Or Honeybee?"

Brian's eyes narrowed. "Knock it off. You're being disrespectful."

"Am I?" Bobby grinned. "Aw, so sorry." He turned away and said, "Got anything to eat, sis?"

Trixie scowled at him. "Bobby, behave yourself. And yes, we ordered pizza. It's in the oven to stay warm."

"Good." He strode over to the oven and yanked it open.

Honey looked up at Brian, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "It's okay," he whispered. "He's an acquired taste."

She could see that. He'd been so charming at Jim and Trixie's wedding, but maybe that had been the alcohol talking. He wasn't nearly so charming now. "Shouldn't your parents be here by now?"

"They called Trix, said they're running late. They'll be here in an hour or so." Brian sounded worried, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. Everyone else was here at the farm house now except for the elder Beldens, and though that should've made her feel better, it only made things worse. Hallie had been cold and unfriendly, and hadn't been at all helpful when Brian had asked about shielding Honey from Kyle's psychic attacks. Diana hadn't been sure about being able to do that, though she'd agreed to at least try, in case it happened again. So far it hadn't, but Honey cringed thinking about it.

"So what's the plan, then?" Bobby asked, turning from the stove. He had a mouth full of pizza and was holding two slices.

"We wait, see what Creech does next," Jim said. He was leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his big chest. Trixie stood next to him. Di, Mart, Hallie, and Dan were sitting at the table.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "You know, this might sound revolutionary, but we _could_ attack them first, just to see what they do. I mean, we have a visionary now." He looked at Honey. "Unless she's not good at it, I guess."

Honey could feel Brian tense and put her hand on his arm. He looked at her, and she saw the anger building in his dark eyes. "I don't really know if I'm good at it yet," she said, her voice soft. "I haven't done much yet."

"She stopped their empath this morning, which I couldn't do," Brian said. His voice was sharp. "Lay off of her."

"Touchy, touchy," Bobby said, and shook his head. "Look, we need to win this fight, bro. Am I right? So forgive me if I'm concerned our little visionary can't do her job."

"He's right," Hallie chimed in. "I mean, she stopped the empath using the lights. It's not like _she's_ the one who actually stopped him." Her voice had a snark to it that grated on Honey's nerves.

"Enough." Jim's voice rang out like a loud bell. "Both of you, knock it off. Honey is part of this team, whether you two like it or not. And in order to beat Creech and his, we need to stand together. So get over yourselves." His eyes smoldered with anger, and Hallie looked down at the floor, while Bobby stayed silent.

The back door opened and Peter and Helen Belden stepped in. Brian immediately left Honey's side to hurry to his parents, but she didn't take offense, because the other three Belden children did the same thing. Once they'd all hugged and had gotten the parents some much-needed coffee, Peter said, "So has anything else happened, or is Edward behaving himself for the moment?"

"So far," Jim said. "We decided it was best to stay here, with high ground. We can see them coming."

"And hopefully we'll be able to track the animus," Mart said, nodding toward Honey. "We're hoping she can keep sight of it."

"That would be lovely," Helen said, smiling at Honey. "We're so pleased to have you in our midst, dear."

"Thank you," Honey said, smiling back. It was nice to have them want her. Bobby looked at her and rolled his eyes, as did Hallie. _No wonder they're related,_ Honey thought, trying not to frown. She wanted to stay as upbeat for Brian and the others as she could.

"No more psychic attacks?" Peter asked.

"No," Brian said, shaking his head. "I think Di and Hallie will be able to work together to ward any others off." At the mention of her name, Hallie slid a narrow-eyed look Honey's way, and she pretended not to see it.

"That would be—" Something hard threw itself against the door, causing Peter to break off. "The animus." He got to his feet. "Everyone stay back." There was a growl in his voice.

"I thought she could see it," Bobby said, gesturing to Honey. "If she can't track that thing, what good is she?"

Before anyone could say anything, Brian spun on his heel and shoved Bobby up against the fridge. Bobby's eyes widened. "I told you to lay off of her," Brian said. His tone was even, but just. "She's very, _very_ new to all this, so show some respect." He let go of Bobby and turned to Honey, slipping an arm around her shoulders and hugging her close. "Dad, what should we do?"

Peter ignored what had just happened between his oldest and youngest sons. "We stay away from all doors and windows. Let's hope they're just trying to intimidate us. We don't want that thing in our house."

Honey closed her eyes, letting herself lean into Brian's comforting hold. She focused on the outside, trying to see the animus. _Aha. There you are._ It had transformed back into the oil slick and was in a puddle on the porch. Its handler was just off the porch, his eyes glaring at the back door. "It's on the porch, back in the oil slick form," she said, her voice soft but firm. "Paul Avery is standing just off the porch, watching the door." She opened her eyes.

"Nice," Bobby said, and there was some actual respect in his voice. "At least we know where it is." He offered Honey a small smile, and she returned it, not wanting to be on anyone's cross side.

"How do we fight it, though?" Diana asked. "Knowing its whereabouts is good, but how can we fight it?"

"We don't," Peter said, shaking his head. "It's too strong of an enemy for us, and none of us have the power to bring it down. The best we can do is avoid it, at any cost."

Honey shuddered and felt Brian's arm tighten around her. She closed her eyes again, seeking anything that might be useful to them. Paul was still close to the house, but was now starting to walk around it, and the animus was slithering after him, a black slick on the dried brown of the lawn. "They're moving around the house," she said.

"Looking for a way in," Jim said.

"The animus could just come under the doors," Diana said, her voice unsteady.

"It could," Jim said. "Hopefully they aren't ready to attack us yet."

"They already did this morning," Brian reminded him. "Can you see anything else, Honey?"

She squinted, as if that could help with her sight, and sighed, opening her eyes. "No, nothing else. I'm sorry."

"For what?" he asked, his voice a gentle rumble. "You've got eyes on the animus. That's better than we could hope for right now."

"He's right," Dan said, giving her an encouraging smile. "That thing is our worst enemy." Next to him, Hallie muttered something, and Dan gave her a nudge with his elbow. Honey tried to ignore her. She was doing the best she could.

Everyone was quiet after that, eating, talking in low tones, and Honey went into the living room, needing a little space. Bobby kept giving her looks, and anytime she accidentally glanced Hallie's way, the other woman glared at her. She didn't know why they didn't like her. Was she not doing her job well enough? She still knew where Avery and the animus were. They'd moved off toward the woods. Was Creech out there somewhere, just watching them? What was he waiting for? Was he going to attack the town?

"We're going to win this thing." Trixie's soft voice wended its way through the room, and Honey turned to her. Trixie smiled. "Oh, I know. It seems like we don't know what we're doing, but trust me – we _will_ win." She looked out the big window, and added softly, "We have to."

"Why does Hallie hate me so much?" The question was out before Honey could really think about it, and she blushed when Trix glanced at her.

"She doesn't hate you. Okay, well, maybe she does, but don't worry about it. She hates a lot of different people, all for different reasons. She doesn't particularly like me anymore, not since Jim chose to marry me. And she thinks Mart is insufferable sometimes. She does like Bobby though."

"I can see why." Honey's voice was a just a touch bitter. When Trixie frowned at her, she added, "He doesn't really seem to want me here, either."

"He and Brian haven't always gotten along. In fact, really, he hasn't gotten along with any of us in a while." There was hurt in her voice.

"Why not?"

Before Trixie could say anything, she suddenly stiffened, and Honey touched her arm. "Trix? What is it? Are you okay?" When Trixie said nothing, and tears started gathering in her eyes, Honey realized her friend was under some sort of psychic attack, and immediately cried out for help. Jim was first into the room, reaching for Trixie, gathering her into his strong arms, cradling her to his chest.

"Help her," he commanded when Hallie and Diana came in. The two women looked at each other and closed their eyes, and Honey prayed that they would be able to defend against Kyle. Because it had to be him, didn't it? How many psychic Conjurers could there be?

She closed her eyes, too, focusing. What was out there? Was Kyle actually in proximity to them? Where had the animus gone? She suddenly saw a large group of people, men and women, but there were downtown, standing near Wimpy's. Breathing in deep, she tried to stay focused, needing to see what they were doing. They were chanting, that strange noise they'd heard last night in the woods, and the animus was big now, much bigger than before, a great black beast of a thing, and it was starting to attack—

Trixie cried out and slumped into Jim's arms, and he was talking to her, trying to rouse her. Hallie and Diana both looked exhausted, but a little triumphant nevertheless. "He's strong," Hallie said, shaking her head, looking at Dan. "I don't know if we can actually thwart him or not. We might just have to play defense with him."

"Whatever you can," Dan told her, grim-faced. He glanced at Honey, must've seen the look in her hazel eyes. "What's wrong?"

"They're attacking Wimpy's," she said. "The animus is. It's huge. And it's getting bigger." Fear wormed its ugly way through her voice, and she was grateful when Brian came to her side, touching her face, trying to reassure her.

"We have to go to them." Peter stood in the doorway between the two rooms. "It's not safe, but we have to confront them before they take the town."

"All of us? Shouldn't some of us stay here?" Diana asked. Mart was next to her, looking upset, his face pale under his freckles.

"No, Dad's right. We all need to go. We're stronger that way," he said.

"Trixie's not going anywhere right now," Jim cut in, shaking his head. "And I'm not leaving her, not with that creature out there."

"Fair enough," Peter said. He wouldn't want his daughter hurt. "The rest of us, let's go. Creech is strong, and he's calling us out by going after Sleepyside. We can't let any innocent people get hurt." He turned to go, said over his shoulder, "Honey, keep eyes on them."

She nodded, though he couldn't see it, and let Brian take her hand and lead her out of the room. They all dressed quickly, coats and gloves and hats to guard against the strong winds buffeting the house, and drove to into town, leaving Jim and Trixie behind. They parked down from Wimpy's, and saw Creech and his group together in the middle of the street.

"Everyone, stay together," Peter said. He reached out for Helen's hand, and she looked up at him. Honey would've expected to see fear in her face, but there wasn't any. Just grim determination. And maybe that's what they really needed to win this.

"Stay close to me," Brian said, turning her attention to him. He touched her cheek. "I know you're tough, and can handle yourself, but if Kyle attacks, you'll need protecting." And there was no doubt in her mind, if Kyle were able to attack her, he would. He seemed bent on turning her to his side.

"I will," she said, nodding. She hoped he'd be able to handle their empath better now, but if he couldn't, at least she knew she could use the lights to help. Somehow, she just knew they'd come when she needed them.

"Peter and Helen. How nice of you to show up for this," Edward Creech called as they made their way down the street toward them. He was smiling. "Didn't trust the children to fight your battle, did you?"

"This doesn't have to be a battle," Peter called. "All you need to do is cease and desist."

"I know you don't really believe that," Creech said, shaking his grey head. "This has been in motion, coming for a very long time. You're the ones who should stop." He said something to a man next to him, and a wave of energy suddenly hit Honey's group, forcing them to bend forward to keep their feet. "I have greater weapons and power than you do, Peter."

Honey shivered against Brian, and he gave her hand a squeeze. "Stay calm," he told her. "We can do this."

"After all, we have this," Creech continued, and the animus, towering at eight feet tall, reared its oil slick head and glided toward them.

 _We can't fight that! It's huge!_ Panic gripped Honey hard, and she closed her eyes, instinctively calling for the glowing lights.

"I'm sorry, _Honey_ , but those lights can't stop me," Creech called.

Honey opened her eyes to see her lights valiantly hitting the animus and bouncing right off as it advanced on them. She gasped – if the lights could do nothing against it, what chance did they have? The animus surged forward, driving their group back. _I need to attack Paul, like I did their empath this morning. Maybe I can stop the animus then._ She redirected the lights, and saw them swarm toward Paul. He swung his arms, trying to fend them off, and as he lost his concentration, the animus shrank down, smaller and smaller.

"Whatever you're doing, baby, keep it up," Brian encouraged. She could feel a warm sunny glow deep within her core, and knew it was him, trying to help her in any way he could. The lights had made Paul stumble backward, and she watched them now, letting them do whatever they wanted. This was a battle, and she was going to protect her boyfriend and their friends and family any way she could.

A crack of thunder overhead swayed her concentration for a moment, and the animus grew bigger again. Honey took a deep breath as rain began pelting them, each drop stinging her face. Brian shielded her as best he could, but it looked like he was engaged now, too, probably trying to keep Creech's empath from doing something to them. A howling wind swept down the street, and in moments, snow was drifting down, and she shuddered, suddenly very cold and feeling disoriented by the weird weather, even though she knew one of Creech's people was manipulating it.

And now the fight was physical, and there were bodies slamming into one another, and she fell when she was shoved hard. Brian turned and reached down for her, and someone hit him from behind, knocking him off-balance. Honey called her lights to her, and they raced toward them, and slammed into the man who'd hit Brian.

"Honey! Concentrate on watching the animus!" Dan yelled, and she swallowed back the rise of bile in her throat and tried to see the animus with her visionary eyes, but she couldn't locate it.

Helen screamed, and Brian turned, panic on his face. "Moms!" he yelled. He glanced down at Honey, who had yet to regain her feet. "Stay here! Watch for the animus!" he said, and ran off toward his mother.

Honey kept swallowing down the rising bile. She got to her feet and closed her eyes, trying to shut out all the chaos. She had to find the animus. And then she did, and it was trying to smother Helen. Peter and Mart were grabbing at it, but it was too slippery, and it was winding itself around Helen's head, and she was panicking and couldn't breathe, and—

"No!" Honey screamed and sent her lights bouncing and weaving toward Paul, who was standing off to the side, a grin on his face. The lights surged into him, knocking him down, and they attacked him, stinging him, hitting him with all of their boundless energy. He was screaming now, and the animus had fallen from Helen and was wriggling on the ground, a tiny little spot of slick oil, and Honey knew she had to call the lights off before they did something too horrible. _Stop! Please, stop!_ The command rang in her mind, and the lights fell away, leaving Paul lying on the ground, motionless. She went down on her knees, her breath heaving in her chest, feeling like there wasn't enough air in her lungs.

"Fall back!" Creech yelled, and his group ran in the opposite direction, and Honey huddled there on the cold snow-covered ground, shaking and full of fear. She glanced toward Paul; two other men were dragging him between them, and the animus was slithering along behind them, still looking dreadful.

"What the hell was that?" Dan reached down and grabbed Honey's arm, hauling her upright. He was seething, his dark eyes flashing with fury. "You could've killed him, Honey!" His hand was bruising her arm, and she was too frightened and stunned to pull away.

"Hey!" Brian was suddenly there, and grabbed Dan's shoulder, spinning him around. "Leave her alone! She stopped the animus!"

"Yeah? She almost got your mother killed!" Dan ranted, getting into Brian's face. He was still gripping Honey, and now she whimpered, drawing Brian's attention. His face went dark, and he pulled back. But his hand didn't come forward – Mart had grabbed it.

"Knock it off!" Mart ordered, jerking his oldest brother backward. "Stop it. We're on the same side. Dan, let go of Honey, you're hurting her." His voice was sharp and hard.

Dan growled something under his breath, but acquiesced, letting go of and then giving Honey a little shove. She stumbled, and Bobby was there, putting his hand out to steady her. "What the hell, Mangan?" he said. "Leave her alone!"

"Oh, so _now_ you're ready to back her?" Dan growled. "You thought she was useless – told me so yourself on the way here!"

"Yeah, well, I changed my mind, okay?" Bobby snapped back. He put his arm around Honey's shoulders and held her close. "She stopped the animus. Give her some credit."

"Enough." Peter approached the group, and Honey wanted to faint at the thunder and fury clouding his face. "We are a family, and this is _enough_." He reached out, touched Honey's arm. "You saved Helen, and all of us, sweetheart. Thank you."

She shuddered and felt Bobby's arm tighten around her. Brian moved toward her, and Bobby stepped back, making sure his oldest brother had her before letting go. Brian hugged her and murmured into her hair, though she wasn't sure what he was saying. Warmth started to slowly fill her chest, and she tried to push back, keep at bay, the tears crowding her eyes. She couldn't cry, not now, not in front of all of them, but she was bruised emotionally and now physically, and she curled into Brian's hold as tightly as she could.

Brian kissed the top of her head and pulled back a little, and she heard him say, "Don't ever touch her again." She knew he was saying it to Dan, who had some snarky comeback, and all she wanted was to go to sleep, to dive under a pile of blankets and never come out. "Shh, sweetie, it's okay now," Brian whispered to her. "It's okay. You did a great job."

But she hadn't, and she knew that. They'd told her to watch the animus, and she'd lost focus, and as a result, it had attacked Helen, and nearly suffocated her. How could she live with that? In retrospect, she couldn't believe the others hadn't reacted like Dan, and he wasn't even related to the rest of them. _And why did he care that I might've really hurt Paul? I was trying to save Helen's life._ Something about the situation, his reaction, rankled deeply within her consciousness, but she wasn't able to focus on it, and instead just let Brian soothe her with his quiet words and warmth.

They pulled themselves together and drove back to the farm house, where Jim and Trixie wanted to know everything, and Honey went upstairs to the sunflower room and collapsed on the bed, and cried. What was she doing here? Why hadn't she gone back to the City when she'd had the chance? An overwhelming urge to see her father flooded over her, and she sat up, sniffling and wiping her eyes. Maybe she just needed to talk to him. But her phone was somewhere downstairs, and she didn't want to go down there, not after everything that happened. She couldn't bear to see Hallie's disapproving looks, or Dan's anger.

The door slowly opened, and Brian stuck his head in. "Hi," he said, his voice sweet and low, and she tried to smile for him. He came in and shut the door, and sat down on the bed next to her. "I'm sorry about what happened downtown," he said, stroking a hand down her back. "Dan had absolutely no right to do what he did." He took hold of her arm gently, and pushed the sleeve back. He sucked in a deep breath at the sight of the bruise on her forearm. "Damn him," he breathed out. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tight, and she cried even harder then, but it seemed okay, because she knew he wouldn't judge her for it.

"It's not your fault, you know," he whispered a minute or so later. "My mom is fine. It was scary, but you stopped Paul, and that stopped the animus." He kissed her temple. "I'm sorry I left you there, by yourself. I was worried about Moms, but I never should've left you alone. Especially since Dan went after you." His voice tightened with anger.

"Why did he?" she whispered.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. He's always been close with my parents, and they treat him like another son, but that was uncalled for." He gave her a small squeeze. "I won't let it happen again."

And she believed him, but it never should've happened in the first place, and that's what worried her. Jim had a volatile temper sometimes, too, but she'd never been afraid of him, to argue or disagree with him. Dan's temper was something else altogether, and she was afraid of him. And really, of Hallie, too. The woman truly seemed to hate her. "Why was he so upset over Paul Avery, though? I mean, I wasn't trying to kill him. I just wanted him to call the animus off, to lose focus." Her voice was strangled with tears.

He hugged her closer to his big chest. "I'm not sure. I know he's keeping something from us, him and Hallie both, and Jim and I have talked about cornering them, but he doesn't want to do that yet." He sighed. "But he hurt you, and I won't have that happen again. Jim won't, either. And Trixie is starting to not trust either of them."

None of that was reassuring to Honey, but she didn't say anything. She knew Brian would try to protect her if he could, and Jim, too, but they had bigger things to deal with. And after her first battle against Creech, she wasn't sure she wanted to do it again. So she just snuggled in more against his warm chest, and tried to stow away the fear that was eating through her veins.


	14. Chapter 14

_I don't own Trixie Belden and Co. I'm just borrowing them for this little story.  
_

 _Thank you to everyone who has left reviews - your kinds words really make my day :-) I hope to make this a series, with Honey and Brian getting involved with other supernatural problems. Jim and Trixie will feature in those future stories as well. Enjoy the new chapter!_

 **SINISTER**

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN:**

Honey barely slept that night. She kept waiting for there to be an attack, but nothing came. The men had taken turns watching over the others, and she'd asked if she should stay awake too, and watch for the animus. But Brian and Jim had both been adamant about her needing sleep. _As if I'd be able to sleep, after all that ruckus downtown._ She got up at six, figuring she could at least pretend she'd gotten some sleep. After showering and changing, and drying her hair enough to put up in a ponytail, she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Dan was sitting at the table, and he glanced at her, those dark glowing eyes burning a hole through her stomach. "You're up early," he said. There was an edge to his voice that made her want to go back upstairs. But she held her ground, and got orange juice out of the fridge. She didn't speak to him. After the way he'd acted toward her last night, she wasn't sure she'd ever want to talk to him again. He watched as she leaned against the counter, and gestured to the seat across the table from him. "I won't bite."

"No? You bit my head off last night," she reminded him. _Damn. I wasn't going to talk to him._ Angry with herself, and because he was the only one here, she started to leave the room.

"You did good last night," he told her, and she paused, and took a breath. "Look, I'm sorry I was so mean," he added. "Peter and Helen mean a lot to me, and to see her suffocating, well, I didn't handle it that well." His voice was low, contrite.

She wanted to leave the room. She wanted to ignore him. But was that in the best interest of the whole family? If he was trying to make amends, maybe she should meet him half-way. She turned to him. "You hurt me." She shoved her sleeve up and held out her arm. The bruise was big, and deep purple. "I did the best I could. There was no excuse for this." She kept her voice even, but anger rang in it.

His eyes widened for a second. "I'm sorry, Honey. That was uncalled for."

She nodded, turned her back on him, and left the room. He'd said sorry, but there was still something off about him that she didn't like. Going to the bay window, she scanned the lawn. There was nothing disturbing out there, but she was uneasy. Creech would be upset over his defeat last night, and would likely try something soon. She closed her eyes, searched for anything out of the ordinary. She saw her lights hovering in the nearby woods, and relief washed through her.

"Hey."

She turned to smile at Jim as he came to stand next to her. "Hi."

"Sleep at all?"

"Not really."

"Me either." He sighed. "Dan say anything to you?"

"He apologized," she said. "But I'm uncomfortable around him, and around Hallie, too. Brian said he has a secret," she added, whispering.

"Yeah," Jim whispered back. "We don't know what yet, but I'm thinking we need to call them both out." He touched her shoulder. "I promise he won't hurt you again."

"Thanks. Is Trix okay after yesterday?"

"I think so. She's tough." He sighed and rubbed a freckled hand over his face. "Creech will keep trying, and we have to be ready. Have you seen anything today?"

"No." She gave a slight shake of her head. "Do you think he'll fight in town again? And do you think anyone will say something? I mean, we practically fought on main street."

"I think if people saw anything, they'll mostly keep quiet. Pretty much everyone who lives here suspects the dark arts are very much alive," he told her. "And they don't want any part of them."

That made sense. "I'm not sure _I_ want anything to do with them," she said.

He flashed a grin at her. "You did a great job last night. Without you, they would've been in serious trouble."

"Maybe," she conceded, still not sure. Her gift still didn't seem that big to her, and she had lost her focus the night before. That mistake had almost cost Helen her life. It was sobering, and she turned her head to stare out into the pinkish dawn sky.

"Don't let what Dan said and did get you down," Jim said, nudging her. "Things happen. And we have no idea what to expect in a fight. Creech has a lot of power on his side."

That power worried her. Someone who had an animus, and someone who could control the weather. And a psychic. She shuddered. "Do you think Kyle is working with him?"

"No. I think Kyle wants you all to himself. He's not a team player." Jim's voice was hard. "Not that we're letting that happen."

Honey sighed. "I can take care of myself, you know," she told him. "I've kind of done that my whole life."

He looked down at her, and there was kindness in his bright eyes. "I know, Hon. And I know you've had a really rough go the last few years. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Kyle."

"Our fathers wouldn't let you."

"Doesn't matter, I should've known better." He put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. "But I promise that he won't get to you. I know you're tough, and you're doing a great job with the visionary power, but you need someone at your back."

She nodded. "I know," she said. And she knew that she had quite a few someones now. Maybe not Dan and Hallie, but everyone else, including Bobby, seemed willing to let her into their circle.

An hour later, they all sat or stood around the living room. Honey leaned against Brian, who was leaning back against the wall, between two wedding pictures of Trixie and Jim. Peter was talking, and they were trying to figure out a strategy to draw Creech out. It had been decided that letting him set the pace of the battles was a disadvantage for them. She wasn't looking forward to going up against them again, and had already promised herself that she'd do a better job of protecting everyone from the animus.

"So we're just putting everything else on hold until we beat them?" Hallie was shaking her head. "I can't close the library indefinitely, Uncle Peter."

"And I can't quit showing up for my shifts," Dan added.

Peter nodded. "I know. I'm hoping to end this over the next couple of days, so we can all go back to our normal lives." He looked around at everyone. "We've seen how tough they are, and some of their special abilities. I doubt we've seen all of them, because Edward wouldn't want to give away all his secrets just yet." His dark eyes wandered over Dan and Hallie. "I'm going to go talk to him in person, see if we can work out a time to do this."

Disbelief washed through Honey, and she said, troubled, "You're really going to go set up a time to fight? Like it's a boxing match?" That seemed so crazy.

"If we can keep it out of town, keep it where no one outside of the Conjurers has to get hurt, then yes," Peter said, looking at her. "I know it sounds odd, but I really think it's for the best."

"But will he agree to that?" Jim asked. "I mean, we know he wants to control the dark arts, and we know he's not afraid to involve innocent people. You guys saw that last night in town."

Peter and Helen exchanged looks. "I don't know," he finally said. "But we have to hope for the best." He got to his feet. "Brian, Dan, you two come with me. The rest of you stay vigilant. We'll be back soon."

"Are you sure it's safe for the three of you to go?" Trixie asked. She was frowning, and Honey knew that frown: Trixie was going to be obstinate until she got what she wanted. "Why don't we invite him out here? Why do you have to go to _him_?"

"It's a gesture, Trixie," Peter said, his voice firm. "We want to get this over with, and I want him to know how serious we are about getting it over with." He nodded to Brian and Dan. "Let's go."

Honey looked up at Brian, and he leaned down and kissed her gently. "Don't worry, we'll be fine," he whispered, and hugged her. Then he and Dan followed Peter out of the living room. Honey bit her lip, very unsure of this plan. She didn't want any of their group going anywhere near Creech, especially just three of them. Trixie and Diana walked over to her.

"It'll be okay, right?" Diana asked, looking at the other two. "Creech won't do anything dirty, will he?"

"I don't know," Trixie said, shrugging. "I'm not impressed that just the three of them went, but what I can say? My dad and brother can handle themselves, and so can Dan."

"Can we trust Dan?" The question was out before Honey could stop it, and she heard a sharp gasp behind Trixie. They all turned to see Hallie standing there, a defiant look on her face. "Hallie—"

"No. Just shut up," Hallie said. Her dark eyes were on fire. "You don't like Dan and I. Just admit it." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Honey's pulse was pounding, and she sighed. "I don't trust you," she said. She figured she might as well get it out into the open, so they could deal with it. "You two were trying to hide information on the Conjurers from me back at the library, and neither of you has been friendly to me."

"Aw, poor baby," Hallie snarked. "So what? Do you want a bottle and a blanket?"

"You don't like me, either," Honey pointed out. She met Hallie's glare. "I don't know why, and I don't need to know. But you have to work with me, and I have to work with the two of you, so we might as well try to get along."

"You just asked if we could trust Dan. And he's been with us a hell of a lot longer than you have, sweetie," Hallie said.

"Girls." Helen approached them, and Honey could see she meant business. "I know we all don't get along, but as Honey said, we have to work together." She gave Hallie a pointed look. "We are stronger together than apart, so for the sake of what's happening, we need to put our differences aside." She took a step back from them. "Honey, may I speak with you in the kitchen?"

Honey nodded, and caught the nasty little smile Hallie gave her as she passed her by. Swallowing hard, she followed Helen into the kitchen, noticing that Mart and Jim were studiously avoiding her gaze. Helen gestured at the kitchen table, and Honey obediently sat, wondering just how much trouble she was in. After all, Hallie was her niece, and Dan was like another son. Helen sat down and smiled, but there was a little bit of warning in her smile, too.

"Now then," Helen began. "I'm glad to have you with us, Madeleine. And I was very sorry to hear about your mother's passing. I had met her a few times, and she seemed like a lovely woman." Her voice was soft.

Honey took a breath. Her mother had passed away four months ago, and she had buried herself in her paintings so that she didn't have to really think about it. Madeleine Hart-Wheeler had never been too involved in Honey's upbringing. She was often sickly, and Honey had really been raised by Ms. Trask, the head of the Wheeler household. Honey had few truly good memories of her mother, and her accident and consequential death hadn't been as emotionally impacting as Honey supposed they should've been. "Jim told me her accident wasn't really an accident," she finally said.

Helen got up and went to the coffee maker, and began pouring two cups. "I suppose he felt you should know that."

"You don't?" The words came out snappier than she'd meant them to. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say it that way," she apologized.

Setting the two cups of coffee on the table, Helen sat down again. "You don't need to apologize. I can see where what I said could be hurtful." She sipped from her cup. "Your life hasn't always been easy, and I know you were very hurt when Kyle Manning left you in Paris." She watched Honey with a steady eye. "You hadn't yet blossomed into your power, and he was tired of waiting for you."

Honey nodded. Some of the old pain resurfaced at hearing his name, but she knew she was getting over that. She had to. "Jim said he doesn't want to work with Mr. Creech."

"No, I'm sure he doesn't." Helen glanced toward the living room. "Kyle isn't quite who you think he is, my dear." She focused on Honey again, and there was a flash of something in her blue eyes. It was gone before Honey could decipher it, but she thought maybe there'd been sympathy.

"Kyle and Dan are brothers," Helen said. She spoke softly, but the words were like thunder to Honey, and she shuddered and inhaled sharply. She opened her mouth, but Helen motioned for her to stay quiet. "Their family is the strongest family of all the Conjurers. The Mannings have immense wealth and power, and Kyle has become used to wielding it. Dan saw how his family, including his brother, was twisting their power, using it for evil. He fled from them, and came to Sleepyside to stay with his Uncle Regan, his mother's brother. Regan too had left the family behind after college, deciding to make his own way rather than rely on his family's laurels. Dan changed his last name to Mangan to escape any connection with the Mannings, and he became quite good friends with Mart. He became, essentially, a fourth son." She paused, glancing toward the living room again. "I know you are suspicious of both Dan and Hallie, and they haven't gone out of their way to be very friendly to you."

 _Not at all,_ Honey thought, but kept that to herself. "Why didn't anyone tell me this about Dan before?"

"I suspect because none of them were ready to trust you with that secret," Helen said.

"But Brian and Jim both said Dan has a secret he's keeping, and I don't think that's it," Honey said, softly insistent.

Helen took a deep breath, and studied her for several long seconds. "He does have another secret, one that none of us know. I suspect Hallie does, as they're very, very close, but he's not been forthcoming with it yet." She leaned across the table. "You need to be careful with what you say around Hallie. She can be quite temperamental."

"I know," Honey said, nodding. She was whispering. "But why does she hate me so much?"

"Brian is her favorite cousin," Helen said. "She's very protective of him, and she has never liked any of the girls he's dated. Not that he's dated many," she added quickly. "And never another Conjurer."

Honey let that sink in for a few moments. "She doesn't think I'm good enough for him."

"That's part of it, yes," Helen said. "But I believe she feels threatened, too. She and Brian have always been close, but now that he's dating you, he's not confiding in her as much." She reached across the table and patted Honey's hand. "I think you're very good for my son, and you're a wonderful addition to our little group of Conjurers. I don't ever want you to think any differently, no matter what Dan or Hallie might say." She frowned. "I'm also very sorry for what Dan said to you last night. I know you were doing your best to protect all of us. And you saved my life."

Honey blushed. "That shouldn't have happened in the first place, though. I lost my focus."

"That happens to all of us, dear," Helen told her. She gave Honey's hand another pat. "We all need to stand together to fight."

"I'll try my best to get along with Hallie and Dan," Honey said. She wanted to fit into Brian's family, to have them all accept her, and she'd bite her tongue where Hallie and Dan were concerned if she had to.

"I know you will." Helen got up. As she started to move toward the sink to put her coffee mug away, she suddenly swayed on her feet. The mug dropped from her hand and smashed to the tile floor. Honey jumped up and ran to her, putting her arm around her waist to steady her.

"Jim!" she called out, and carefully guided Helen back to the chair she'd just gotten up from. Jim ran into the kitchen, followed closely by everyone else.

"What happened?" he asked, frowning.

"I'm not sure. She started swaying, and dropped the coffee mug," Honey told him, nodding toward the mess on the floor.

"What did you do to her?" Hallie asked, a bite in her voice. She came around the table and sat next to Helen. "Aunt Helen? Are you okay?"

Honey opened her mouth to defend herself, but said nothing. This wasn't about her right now – it was about Trixie's mom. "I don't know what happened," she said, looking up at Jim.

"Maybe Kyle is attacking her," Trixie suggested. She sat on Helen's other side.

"You mean Dan's brother?" Honey blurted out, unable to stop herself. The others all looked at her, and she saw malice in Hallie's eyes.

"What? So now you think Dan's a jerk like his brother?" she said, her dark eyes glaring daggers into Honey's golden ones.

"Peter," Helen murmured. "Something's wrong." She shook her head and looked at Trixie. "They're in danger."

"How does she know that?" Honey asked, even as horror burgeoned through her. If Peter was in danger, so were Brian, and Dan.

"She can sense things," Jim said. He reached out and took Helen's hand. "Where are they?"

"I-I can't tell," Helen said. She took a deep breath, and looked at Honey. "Can you see anything?"

Honey closed her eyes. She didn't know if she really needed to do that in order for her visionary power to work, but it felt more natural that way. Seeking the three men out, she saw just a very vague outline of a house. But something moved in the corner of her vision, and she shuddered and opened her eyes. "I'm not sure where they are, but the animus is there."

"We have to go," Hallie said, already getting up. "They need us."

"We need a plan. We don't know what's happening," Mart told her. His voice was grim.

"That's what _she's_ for, isn't it?" Hallie pointed at Honey. "So tell us where they are."

"I can't," Honey said, shaking her head. "I can only see a vague outline of a house, and I saw the animus lurking near the corner of it. But I don't know where it is."

"You're a lot of help then," Hallie said. She looked at Jim. "We need to go get them. They're in trouble."

Jim nodded. "The house is probably Creech's. I agree with Hallie – we need to go." He looked at Honey, and she tried not to feel like he was betraying her. "You stay with Helen. The rest of us will go get them." There was to be no arguing with him – the green blaze in his eyes was enough to show that. Honey bit her lip.

She watched as the others left, and sat down across from Helen, feeling utterly useless. And afraid. If the animus had attacked them, would Jim and the others be able to help them? To rescue them? She closed her eyes and tried to see Brian, but all she got was another vague, hazy image of a house. The animus was no longer there, but she wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

"They'll be all right," Helen said, her voice soft. "Peter and the boys are strong."

"But you said they were in danger."

"They are, but they should be able to handle themselves until the others arrive." A faraway look came into her eyes. "Holding off the animus is the hardest part."

"Have you ever fought one before?"

"No." Helen gave her head a slight shake. "Are you upset Jim didn't let you go?"

 _Is it that obvious?_ "I'm worried about Brian," she said. He already meant so much to her, and she knew she'd be devastated if something happened to him. "I just want to do my part."

"You will," Helen said. She was quiet after that, and Honey couldn't stand just sitting there any longer. She got up and murmured something about the TV, and wandered into the living room. It was bleak and windy outside, exactly how she felt inside. Were they okay? Was Brian all right? Had the animus attacked them? Rain splattered against the bay window, and she sighed. Her arm throbbed where Dan had gripped it so hard the night before, and she wished that Brian were there with her.

Bright yellow suddenly filled the window, and she gasped. Her lights were there, circling and bouncing in the rain. She moved closer to the window, and they rushed at it, glowing and beaming. But something almost seemed off about them this time. They had a reddish glow to them that had never been there before, and she remembered that Creech had warned her that they might not be all good, that they might be devils. They had never hurt her before, and they had listened during the two fights. Putting her hand up to the glass, she could feel their heat radiating through it.

And then Helen screamed, and Honey spun around and raced into the kitchen. Four men stood there, and she knew instinctively that they were Creech's. She put herself in front of Helen, her breath coming fast and hard.

"Get out," she ordered.

The men moved toward them, and one of them smiled at her. Her head suddenly felt fuzzy, and she struggled to keep her focus. She tried calling the lights to her, but the more the man's smile brightened, the more she couldn't focus, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her mind was all at once clear, and she cried out in her mind to the lights. But when she opened her eyes, they were nowhere to be seen, and the man who'd smiled at her lunged and grabbed her around the throat. She swung at him, gasping, and heard Helen cry out as the other three men converged on her.

"Didn't see _this_ coming, did you, lovely?" Honey's captor murmured. He was young, about her age, and handsome, but his eyes were steel-hard blue, and there was no warmth to him at all. He jerked her closer to him. "Your lights won't save you this time." He gave her throat another tight squeeze, and she fought against him, as hard as she could. But her air was running out, and bright white lights were dancing across her eyes, and she needed to breathe and to protect Helen, and then-darkness.


	15. Chapter 15

_I don't own Trixie Belden and Co. I'm just borrowing them for a while.  
_

 _Thank you for all the nice reviews I've gotten in the last week. They really are an encouragement, and I'm excited that other people are enjoying this new take on Honey and Brian and the others. Someone mentioned wanting to find out more about the Belden siblings backgrounds and why they don't get along, and you will see that in bits and pieces. I have an idea already for a follow-up story to this one._

 **SINISTER**

 **CHAPTER FIFTEEN:**

When Honey came to, she was bound and gagged, and she couldn't see anything, either. Wherever she was, it was darker than pitch. She breathed quietly, trying not to panic. _Did they take Helen, too? Where is she?_ Making a faint noise, she waited to see if anyone made a noise back, but there was only silence. _Well, maybe they left Helen alone._ That would be something. Her wrists were bound behind her back, tightly, and her ankles were bound as well. An animal skittered by in the blackness, and she shuddered. _Keep it together, Wheeler. You're tough. You can do this. You're a Conjurer._ But she was also alone, and had absolutely no idea where she was. How long had she been here? Long enough for the others to have noticed her missing? And if Helen had been left behind, had she been able to tell them anything useful?

She heard people somewhere, and determined she must be in a room of some sort. The voices were masculine, and at least one sounded angry. Was that a good thing? Maybe Creech hadn't wanted her kidnapped. She closed her eyes, desperate to see what was happening. But her powers seemed to have taken a hit, and she didn't see anything. _I just need to calm down. I can do this._ She pulled on her restraints, but they were very tight, and her arms and legs were already growing sore.

A door opened, but there was still no light, and she tensed when footsteps started making their way toward her. "Enjoying yourself, precious?" a man asked. It was the same one who had grabbed her by the throat at Jim's. A hand touched her face, and she jerked backward, her breathing ragged with fear. "Don't worry your pretty little head. You can't get free, and your boyfriend can't find you. They can't find anyone now that we have their visionary." He chuckled and suddenly grabbed her by her hair, yanking her face close to his. It was so dark she could just barely make out his nose and jawline. "Be a good girl, now, or I'll let the animus in here. You won't like that. No, you won't." He pressed his lips to her cheek, and she tried to scream, but the gag stifled most of the noise. "Don't do that too much, lovely. That gag is slippery. It'll slide down your throat and choke you." There was a faint hum of malice in his voice. "Like I said, be a good girl." He patted her on the top of the head and retreated, and she waited until she heard the door close before letting out a panicked little cry.

 _Stay calm. I'm sure Brian knows you're missing by now, and he'll find you. He said he'd do whatever he had to do to keep you safe. I know he'll look for you._ And so would Jim and Trixie, and probably Mart and Diana. Definitely _no_ on Dan and Hallie, and she wasn't sure if Bobby was attached to her enough to want to help. Peter and Helen probably would, if Helen was okay. If she'd been taken too, well, they'd all look for her first. Which was, of course, extremely understandable.

At the first feel of tears in her eyes, Honey blinked furiously. No. _No_. She wasn't giving her captor the satisfaction of walking in and catching her crying. Hell, _no._ Again she tugged on her wrist restraints, but they were too tight for any wiggle room. Wondering if she could move at all, she tried to inch forward, and found that to be at least something. A small surge of elation swept through her. They might have her shackled, but she could still move. But her joy was cut short when she realized they also had her chained to the wall behind by her wrists, and a few tears did manage to escape then.

The door opened again and this time, a faint light followed her captor into the room. He was tall, taller than Brian, with wide shoulders and a smug grin on his face. "Well, lovely, we're taking you on a little ride. Seems like we're afraid your friends might find you here." He undid the chain that shackled her to the wall, and turned to face her. She stared up at him, hoping like mad that he wasn't about to pick her up. But that was exactly what he did. She struggled against him, and he gave her a hard squeeze. "Might as well behave yourself, sweetie," he whispered into her hair. "I will hurt you if you don't."

The rush of anger through his words stilled her. There was no use in fighting if it didn't gain her anything, and if she was presented with a chance at escape later, she didn't want to be too tired from struggling now. He carried her from the room, and the dim light in the hallway was bright enough to hurt her eyes. She closed them and reached out with her visionary powers, seeking Brian or her lights, or any of their group. A faint outline of Brian shimmered in front of her for a moment, and a swell of immense warmth rushed through her body. She gasped, and the image faded, along with the warmth, but that small link to him was enough to give her a little more courage.

"Using your powers, honey?" her captor asked. "Won't do you any good. The Beldens and company won't be able to find you, not where we're taking you."

She tried not to shudder or show any reaction at all. After all, they weren't going to kill her or anything that drastic. Were they? She steeled herself for whatever was coming next. After all, she'd been left with a shattered heart at the Eiffel Tower – she could handle looking death in the face. Right? _You can do this. Be strong. Be tough. Be like Trixie._ Trixie was the toughest woman she knew, and she'd be able to handle herself in any situation. So what would Trix be doing right now? _I have no idea. But I can at least not show this guy any fear._ She'd be stone cold.

He carried out a door and she saw that it was dark. How long had she been here? They were in the woods; a faint glow from the moon lit the surrounding trees, and he carried out into them, further away from whatever building she'd been in. Her muscles were sore and cramped, and she tried to move just a little. He immediately gave her a hard squeeze that made her squeak. "I told you it's no use, lovely," he chided. "You're ours now. Do you get that? You _belong_ to us."

She didn't like the sound of that at all, but she knew her friends and Brian would be searching for her. Again she tried to use her powers, but though she could see clearly, there was no one to see. Why couldn't she find them? Had Brian done something to momentarily break through to her earlier? Shivers raced through her. It was freezing and windy, and she was only wearing her sweatshirt and jeans. No shoes, she noted, just socks. At least they were thick ones. And it wasn't raining or snowing, so that was good. Somehow she suspected she wouldn't get the chance to run, anyway.

He finally set her down after what seemed like an hour of walking. She wobbled and he steadied her, turning her around. "See that cave, lovely? That's where you're going to be staying now." He grinned at her, but it wasn't enough to melt that ice in his blue eyes. He had darker blond hair and he was handsome, but she saw the evil lurking in his eyes, and it took all her willpower not to shudder in defense. "Come on." He started moving her, but with her ankles bound, there was little movement she could do with her feet. He stopped and huffed out a sigh. "Guess you need a lift." He picked her up and slung her over his broad shoulder, and anger flashed through her hazel eyes.

This was insane. She was a Conjurer, for crying out loud, and a visionary. This was mortifying. It didn't last long this time, though. He dropped her on the ground a few feet into the cave, and she bounced hard, whacking her head on the floor of it. Sparks shot across her line of vision, and she couldn't help but cry out a bit at the rough treatment. "Shut up." He gave her a hard nudge with the toe of his boot, and she sucked in a breath, feeling the tears welling in her eyes. No. She was stronger than this. She wasn't going to cry.

"Take her down." This was a new voice, one she'd never heard before, and she tried to roll over so she could see. But her captor put his foot on her shoulder to keep her still.

"How far?"

"Down to the gate."

Her captor picked her up and again put her over his shoulder. At least she didn't feel like he was going to stumble and drop her, so that was something. She reached out with her power again, desperate to seek Brian, but could see nothing but grey. _Well this is damn depressing._ What cave was she in? And how far down was this gate? The ground was slanting downward at a good rate now, and she tried to steady her breathing. She thought back to what Jim had told her, about how the townspeople had come into the woods to try and force the Conjurers to leave. _Jim said the legends say that the Conjurers opened up a gateway to Hell and forced people into it._ Her heart pounded. That hadn't even sounded like something logical back when he'd told her the story, but now, with what she knew about these people and this town, maybe it was possible.

As he carried down further into the bowels of the cave, the air grew much colder and burned her nose and throat. At least there was air, though. She'd thought maybe it would be stale. There were torches burning along the walls, and the path kept downward at a steep rate. Finally, when she wondered how deep into the earth they were, he stopped and set her down, more carefully this time. "Here we are, lovely. Try not to run away, all right?" He leaned into her face. His eyes were piercing. "Trust me – there are monsters here. You don't want to meet them." He kissed her forehead, and she recoiled. That was too much of an intimate gesture on his part. He turned to go, and then moved close to her again. "You're safe here. I promise." When she widened her eyes in surprise, he smirked. "I'll see you soon, sweetheart."

She watched him go, and wondered at his words. Why would he take time to tell her she was safe? She clearly wasn't – he'd left her in the bowels of a deep dark cave, and he was the enemy. And he'd choked her into unconsciousness earlier in the day, or whenever he'd kidnapped her. So he wasn't any friend to her. She huffed out a sigh. Did she stay standing, or sit back down? When sharp pains ripped through her leg muscles, that was the deciding factor, and she slid to the floor. It was cold and damp, and she leaned her head back. Her stomach growled. Had she eaten that morning? Was it still the same day? _Ugh. I'm so over this._ She glanced at the gate across from her. There was only blackness behind it, and she shuddered.

She took a breath and closed her eyes, straining with her visionary powers to find Brian, or anyone in their group. She couldn't see her lights, either, and the only thing she could see was a stark field of solid grey. How was anyone going to find her down here, when she couldn't somehow reach out to them? Dismayed that her powers weren't working, she opened her eyes and tried not to feel totally abandoned. After all, she _knew_ Brian would be searching for her. He would do whatever he had to in order to find her. Of that, she was confident. But was he okay? Had he been hurt when they went to confront Creech? Extremely uncomfortable thinking about it, and uncomfortable physically as well, she wondered if she should try to sleep. She had no clue what time it was, though being dark out, she figured it was night time.

 _Honey…_

Trixie's voice wafted through her mind, jolting her. Focusing on her friend's voice, she tried to reach out to her through her visionary powers. There was nothing. Not one little glimpse of anything. Frustrated and feeling even more isolated and alone, she tried to keep her spirits up. She'd definitely heard Trix's voice in her mind, and she knew Trixie's Conjurer power was finding out the truth. So maybe she was able to find people, too. If that was the case, then all she had to do was sit tight and wait for her friends to show up.

As if it was that easy. She was freezing, tired, and sore, and scared. She didn't trust the guy who'd brought her here, and she wanted to be with Brian. Closing her eyes, she just wanted to succumb to her tears. A low noise across the path from her roused her, and she opened her eyes, squinting in the dark. Another noise, this one sharper, like claws on rock. Her heartbeats sped up. Her captor had mentioned monsters – what exactly had he meant by that? He'd also said she'd be safe here, but if there were monsters, how safe was she really?

"She's down here."

The voice was sharp, and she cringed even as three men made their way toward her in the gloom. One of them was Edward Creech, along with her captor and another younger man she didn't recognize. Creech stopped in front of her and looked down, a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Well, now, _Honey_ , are you enjoying yourself? Oh, that's right – you can't speak." He flashed an evil grin, and she wondered that she'd ever found him harmless. "Get her up," he ordered.

The dark-haired man with them reached down and jerked her up, and she cried out, her stiff muscles protesting. Creech reached out and grabbed her chin, making her look at him. "Not so full of yourself now, are you? Your group is lost without your seeing ability. They won't see us or the animus coming."

Honey tried to jerk her head away, but Creech refused to let go. He seemed to be taking great pleasure in having her at his mercy. He finally let go of her. "They don't have any advantage now," he said, turning to the two men. "We have the upper hand."

"We can use her against them," the dark-haired man said.

Creech shook his head. "No. Her power is still infantile. In fact, I suspect it's not working at all right now, is it?" He glanced at Honey. "We've limited her, for now. And I've got someone who's very interested in buying her."

Honey's blood froze. _Kyle_. Creech couldn't mean anyone else, because there was no one else who knew about her gift. If Kyle got his hands on her, it wouldn't be good. He was angry with her, and he was controlling and manipulative. And he knew how to disappear. Brian would never find her if she ended up in Kyle's hands. She could feel panic welling inside her chest, and tried to breathe slowly. This was no time to give in to fear. Keeping her wits was going to do far more good than panicking would.

"Manning." The blond spit out the word. "He's not on our side, Edward. Why should we give her up to him?"

Creech frowned at him. "He's not on anyone's side. But he can be a powerful ally, at the right time." He glanced at Honey. "We'll keep her here until he arrives, and send her off with him. She won't be able to interfere with our plans again." He pointed across at the gate. "Take her inside."

The two younger men looked at one another. "Is that a good idea? We're not sure what's there anymore," the blond said.

Creech leaned close to him. "I don't care. Do it."

The blond nodded and pushed Honey over to the gate. She stumbled, her heart pounding hard enough she thought it was going to explode out of her chest. Was this where the monsters were? Why would Creech trust her to be over here, then? If he was waiting to sell her to Kyle, wouldn't he want her uninjured? The gate made a creaking noise, like it hadn't been oiled in ages, and the blond shoved her through. He made sure she didn't fall, though, and again, that struck her as odd. Why did he care at all what happened to her?

"Lock her in," Creech ordered. He stared at Honey through the bars. "Don't venture too far away, Miss Wheeler. Bad things will happen." He smiled and turned away, and she cringed against the wall as the three men left her.

Something echoed far away, down further in the black hole behind her, and she pressed up against the wall. She couldn't stay standing and slid down, her body in pain and her breath coming in short little hitches. If something were to come from down there in the depths, she wouldn't be able to defend herself. She couldn't even move, not really. _Brian, I need you. Please. Jim, help me._ Her mind was starting to wander some, and she tried to keep herself sane. She had to. More noises came from further away, and it was all too easy to imagine some horror like the animus slithering its way to her, wrapping her up in a coat of velvety oil, and suffocating her. _No. No, I'm not doing this. I'm not done. I won't give in to fear. I can't._ Trixie would never do that, never give up and let fear take over, and she couldn't, either.

She knew somehow Creech was blocking her visionary power. He'd said as much. How could she fight through that? And how much time did she have before Kyle arrived? Was he already here somewhere? She could only imagine a meeting between her ex and current boyfriends. Brian had told her he'd have words someday with Kyle over what Kyle had done to her, and she wondered if the two would meet sooner now rather than later. _That's not really reassuring. I know how powerful Kyle is, and his psychic attacks are horrible. I don't want him to hurt Brian._ But she also knew her boyfriend could handle himself. She'd seen it first-hand.

"Are you crazy? If Creech finds out you're helping the others—"

"I'm not. I just don't think it's fair to throw her to Manning. You know what he's capable of."

Honey took a shallow breath, listening to the two men talking. One of them was her captor, the other the dark-haired man who'd been with Creech. But why would her captor, the blond, want to help her? Why was he so against giving her to Kyle? Not that she didn't need help, but it was very odd. The two men were suddenly at the gate, and she stared up them. Light from the nearest torches played over their pale handsome faces, and she shivered.

"I can't let Creech give her to Manning," the blond said, shaking his head. "It's not right." He started to undo the chains on the gate.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, Kimball." Kyle's voice was smooth and soft, the voice that had won Honey over and kept her tied to him for far too long. "And shame on you for helping the Beldens. I thought you were smarter than that." He moved into view, Creech at his side.

Honey gasped at the sight of him and her gag slid back in her throat, choking her. She tried to cough it back up, but that only seemed to make it worse, and she heard the blond, Kimball, scrabbling with the lock on the gate. He jerked it open and ran to her, reaching out to jerk the gag from her mouth. She coughed and sucked in air, her throat burning from the freezing air. "Easy. Just try to breathe normally," Kimball said. "That's it."

"You can release her bonds. She won't run from me," Kyle directed him. His voice had an imperious air to it. "You did well, Edward. But how did you limit her power?"

"You have your secrets, and I have mine," Creech said. "And you'll take her far from here."

"Yes. You have no need for her, and I have all the need in the world." Kyle moved close to her. She shuddered, wishing she could be anywhere but here. Kimball finished taking off her restraints, and Kyle reached out to touch her face. "You were always a pretty girl, Honey, but now that your power has awakened, you're beautiful," he said. She jerked away from him, her eyes wide with not only disgust, but fear. He smiled. "So much more spirit. I like that."

"Stay away from me," she said, trying to be fierce. "I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Oh, love, you have no idea." Kyle's dark eyes, so much like Dan's, now that she knew the truth, sparked with something dark, and a fiery pain assaulted her mind. She cried out, grabbing her head, tears flooding her eyes. "You see, you have no say over what happens next."

"Maybe she doesn't, but _I_ do." Brian's voice, filled with fury, cut through the cold air. "Let her go, Manning."

Honey jerked her head toward his voice, and saw not only Brian, but Jim, Dan, Mart and Peter. "Brian," she whispered, and he looked right at her, those beautiful dark eyes boring into her light ones, and an incredible arc of warmth shot through her.

Kyle grabbed her arm and pulled her tight to him. "She's leaving with me, Belden." His gaze flickered to Dan. "Hello, brother. I thought you didn't want any part of our heritage." There was malice in his voice.

"Let her go, Kyle," Dan said. "You know we're not letting her leave with you."

"And you know that's the only possible outcome." Kyle tilted his blond head. "You haven't forgotten my power, have you?"

Dan suddenly grabbed his head, crying out. Honey tried to wrench away from Kyle, and saw Brian and Jim moving toward them. Creech, Kimball, and the other man with them stepped into their path.

"Enough of this," Peter said, his voice hard. "Creech, she's not leaving with anyone but us."

"Oh, but she is." Kyle released Dan from his pain, and Mart reached out to steady him. "I am far more powerful than all of you put together. And the sad thing is, you all know this." He gave Honey's arm a sharp tug. "Come along, love. I have plans for you." He started pulling her along, and she resisted as much as possible, but her muscles, having been cramped for so long, were refusing to behave normally, and her legs buckled.

"Honey." Brian had pushed past the others and was there now, reaching for her, but Kyle shoved him away. "Knock it off," Brian ordered, focusing on Kyle for the moment even as he caught Honey before she fell. But Kyle still had her by the arm. "Release her," Brian said, his voice buzzing with fury. He tried to hug her to him, but Kyle pulled back, causing her to cry out.

"She belongs to me, Belden," Kyle said, and letting go of Honey's arm, threw a fast punch at Brian. Brian seemed to know it was coming, and danced back out of range. He pulled back and swung, taking a big step forward, and caught Kyle on the chin, knocking him off-balance. Brian grabbed Honey around the waist and half-turned, pushing her out of the way.

She stumbled and thought she was going to fall, but Mart was there, reaching around her and hauling her into his arms. "I'm getting you out of here," he said. "Just hang on." He turned to leave, but Kimball and the other man were there. "You don't want any of this, Pete," Mart warned. "Get out of my way."

Pete Kimball shook his head. "I can't let you walk out of here, Belden. You know that." But there was worry in his face, and Honey wondered again why he was being sympathetic toward her.

"Yeah you can," Mart said, and started forward. The other guy, though, seemed to have no illusions of sympathy, and he swung at Mart. Mart sidestepped the move, keeping Honey out of harm's way, and set her down. She wobbled, only to have Peter pick her up. "Go Dad. I got this," Mart said. He was swinging at the dark-haired man.

"We're going," Peter said and took off on a run. Honey wasn't sure if she should be embarrassed or grateful. It was very awkward, being carried by her boyfriend's father, and she squeezed her eyes closed and reached out for her lights. Maybe now that she wasn't shackled they would come to her. But as they ran up, heading for the light of the surface, she couldn't see them. What had Creech done to her?

Peter suddenly cried out and fell to his knees, dropping Honey. She rolled away from him and pushed herself to her knees. Kyle was walking toward them, and she realized it was futile to run from him. He really was more powerful than all of them together. "What did you do to Brian?" she said, her voice hard. "Where is he?"

Kyle flashed that famous grin at her, and his dark eyes glowed with an inner fire. "What do you see in him, love? He's helpless compared to me. I can keep you safe, protect you from everyone. He can't do that."

"He's a hundred times more a man than you'll ever be," she said, shaking her head as he reached for her. She heard Peter moaning. "Let him go, Kyle," she said, nodding toward Peter. "Don't hurt him because of me."

"You know you're leaving with me, Honey. And they'll never find you again." His voice was dark. "I'll release dear old dad if you promise to go with me."

She knew she couldn't make that promise, because that would be the end of her life. Kyle would use her to accomplish his own goals, and she would be nothing but property to him. "I can't," she said. "And I won't." She held her head high.

"Look at you." Kyle stopped, and Honey noticed that Peter was quiet now. "So beautiful, and strong. You were never strong before. Your power has made you that way."

"No. You made me strong, Kyle. You left me beneath the Eiffel Tower, _alone_ , in a country where I knew no one. I knew I wasn't strong then. I should've left you before you had that chance to hurt me," she told him. Defiance shimmered in her golden eyes. "But I didn't. And I swore that I would never give you another chance to hurt me. I wouldn't let anyone hurt me, not ever again."

Kyle smiled. "You should be appreciative of me, then." He held his hand out to her. "Come along. We have to go."

"And I told you I'm not leaving." She took a step back from him, and instant anger blossomed across his ridiculously handsome face. Her heart beat harder and harder. She didn't know how to fight, and he was much stronger than she was. But she did have something he didn't, if they would only come to her. She reached out for her lights, calling to them through her visionary powers.

"Honey!"

Brian's cry from behind Kyle broke her concentration, and she opened her eyes to see Kyle charging her. She gasped and turned to run, but he already had her by the arm, was pulling her back against him, and she knew it was useless. Why had she tried to run? She was weak from having been bound and he was much faster than she was.

"Let her go," Brian ordered. He was standing near Peter, who was still on the ground, silent, eyes shut against the pain Kyle had caused.

"You don't deserve her," Kyle said. "No one else does."

"Kyle, you won't win," Honey said. He gave her arm a hard squeeze and she gritted her teeth to keep from crying out. It was the same arm Dan had bruised. "Let me go."

"No." Kyle turned his gaze on Brian. "I was going to spare him, but you've forced my hand." A startled look crossed Brian's face, and he fell to the ground, and Honey's heart stopped beating for a moment. "He's all right, but he's no good to you right now. He can't stop me from taking you."

Honey closed her eyes and called to the lights. _Come to me. Now. I need you!_ She kept calling out to them, even as Kyle was trying to drag her from the cave.

"What the hell?" Kyle let out a yelp, and Honey opened her eyes. The lights had come to her, finally, and they were glowing red. They smashed into Kyle repeatedly, and she could see the burn marks on his expensive shirt and jeans as they hurtled themselves against him. She jerked away from him and forced her wobbly legs to run to Brian, who was now sitting up, rubbing at his head.

"Are you okay?" she asked, leaning close to him.

"I think so." He focused on her, and reached out to touch her cheek. "Are _you_ okay? How badly did they hurt you?" He started to get up, and added, "He's down, Honey."

She turned her head and saw Kyle on the ground, and ordered the lights to stop. They raced away from him, bouncing and circling, and she lost sight of them. Turning her attention back to Brian, she helped him to his feet, and he hugged her close, wrapping those steel-strong arms around her and snugging her in tightly to his broad chest. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry they got their hands on you." He rubbed her back, and she closed her eyes, knowing it was safe now to let down, to let him take care of her. He kissed the top of her head, and said, "Look at me, sweetheart." She looked up, and he dropped his mouth to hers, gently, his kiss infusing her with much-needed warmth and sunlight. She sighed against his mouth, and he kissed her deeply, holding her so tight and close, and she let herself get lost in his touch and his strength and his power.

Someone cleared their throat behind them, and he finally broke the kiss. "You might want to check on Dad," Mart said, his tone dry.

"I was checking to make sure Honey was okay after being kidnapped," Brian said, his tone curt. He gave her a squeeze and walked over to where Peter was sitting up, Mart and Jim kneeling next to him.

"I'm fine, son," Peter said, getting to his feet with Mart's help. "He didn't permanently hurt me."

"Good," Brian said, "but I still want to check you over, back at my office." He glanced at Jim, who nodded and moved to Honey's side.

"You all right?" Jim asked her, and she nodded. "Liar." He hugged her close.

"How did you find me?" she whispered.

"Trixie. She was able to use her power to track you here," he said, his voice quiet. "I'm sorry you were taken. We thought you'd be safe at the house. That's my fault."

"No, it's not. It's not anyone's fault, but Creech and his cronies," she said, stepping back and shaking her head. "Where's Dan? I'm surprised he'd want to come."

Jim's green eyes glinted. "He didn't have a choice. Brian wanted to keep an eye on him, in case he was involved in this." He huffed out a breath. "He said he wasn't, but I'm not sure I believe him."

Brian walked over. "Let's go. I want to get Honey and Dad checked out." When Honey started to protest, because she really just wanted to go back to Jim's and cuddle with Brian on the couch, he shook his head. "No arguing. You were kidnapped, held against your will, and you're probably more hurt than you realize." There was a growl in his voice. "I'm taking them to the office. Once I'm sure they're okay, we'll meet back at your house."

"Sounds like a plan," Jim said, and gave Honey another quick hug. Brian took her hand and led her out of the cave and over to his car, and helped her into the passenger seat. "I'll be right back, sweetheart," he said. She watched him walk over to the other guys, Dan included, who had joined them, and let her eyes slide closed. She was safe now, and she knew Brian would take excellent care of her. _And I just need five minutes…._


	16. Chapter 16

I don't own Trixie Belden and Co.

Just a quick note; I am working on the second novel in a fantasy series while the first novel is being considered for publication by Her Universe Press. As much as I love my fan fiction stories, I won't have quite the time to commit to them as I work at the second novel. I will try to keep up with Sinister, though - I love writing Honey and Brian. And I know there haven't been a lot of romantic moments for them, but there will be a second story in the future, and they will be a lot closer in that one. Thank you to anyone still reading this, and for the reviews some of you have taken time to write. I greatly appreciate it.

 **SINISTER**

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN:**

An hour and half later, Brian determined that both Peter and Honey were okay enough to go back to Jim's, though he kept Honey very close as they headed out to his car. It was two AM now, and she was exhausted and bruised after her ordeal. Brian muttered to himself a great deal on the way back to Jim's, and she was too tired to keep reassuring him she was fine. They both knew she wasn't. She'd been held by their enemy, and had to deal with her crazy ex-boyfriend. Nothing was fine about either of those things.

Trixie hugged her tight and Helen was next, and Honey wished that her own mother had been as engaging and warm as she was. "I'm sorry," Helen told her, after she'd let go of Honey. "I wasn't able to tell them anything except that it was Creech's men who took you." She pushed a strand of Honey's hair back behind her ear. "And thank you for trying to protect me. You are a brave young woman."

Honey blushed and murmured that it was okay, and that she hadn't done anything the other women in the group wouldn't have. Brian finally pulled her away from everyone and helped her upstairs and into the sunflower room. "I want you to sleep late," he told her. "You need to rest. They hurt you, quite a bit." His voice was soft, but there was no mistaking the steely protective note in it.

"Okay." She wanted to just curl up in his lap and let him hold her all night, but she knew he was tired too. It had been an exhausting day for all of them. "Thank you for rescuing me," she whispered and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

"You're welcome," he said. "I just wish I'd been able to protect you." There was sincere regret in his voice, something she'd never heard from Kyle.

"You saved me. That's all that matters," she said, and kissed him. It wasn't the passionate kind they'd shared a couple of hours ago, but it was warm and made her head and heart fuzzy, and she really didn't want him to leave her alone.

He broke the kiss and motioned toward the bathroom. "Take a shower and get warmed up. You're still freezing," he said, a soft look in his deep brown eyes. "I'll be back to check on you."

"Okay." She waited for him to step out of the room and gathered clean pajamas and headed into bathroom. Letting the water run until it was steaming hot, she stood beneath it for several long minutes, letting the stream wash away the grime of the day. Her muscles were stiff and sore, and she was just plain bone-weary. After scrubbing her body and washing her hair, she got out and toweled off, dressing in a pair of boy shorts and a long-sleeve T shirt. When she stepped out of the room, Brian was there, lying on the bed, appearing to be sound asleep. A soft smile touched her lips and she got into bed next to him. They weren't going to do anything; she wasn't ready for anything like that, but it was nice just to curl up behind him and have him there.

"You okay?" he said, his voice groggy with sleep. He half-rolled over so he could see her.

"I'm okay. Better than I was," she said, her voice low. "You should get some sleep."

He started to say something, hesitated, and then sat up. "Yeah, I should. I just wanted to make sure you were all right."

She wondered if he'd meant to stay with her, and her stomach tingled at that. But it was probably best if he didn't stay in bed with her. "Thank you for everything you did," she whispered, and he turned to her and touched her cheek.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," he said. "I know I can't keep you safe all the time, but I can promise that I will always rescue you." His voice was low and husky, and drove heat all through her body like exploding fireworks. "I'd kiss you, but I think we both know I wouldn't leave then, and we both need sleep." He did kiss her forehead, and left quickly, closing the door gently behind him.

She slumped back into the bed, her head burning where his lips had grazed it. _Okay, slow down, girl. You can't possibly be in what you think you are._ What did she think she was in? She'd known, on some super deep level, that she hadn't ever really been in love with Kyle. She'd always figured he wouldn't stay with her, because he was too big of a personality, too wild and free to ever be hampered with someone like her. But Brian? Could she really be falling this fast for someone she didn't really know that well? It happened in romance novels sure, and chick flicks of course, but her? Now? Here? She sighed and rolled onto her side and closed her eyes. She wasn't ready to examine her heart that closely yet.

A half-hour later, try as she might, she couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the feeling of being bound and gagged, and panic would erupt through her whole body. It wasn't that she didn't feel safe; she wasn't sure where else in the world she would feel safe if it wasn't here at Jim and Trixie's. But her mind kept replaying those events, and refused to shut off. She finally sat up and threw the blankets back and got up. It was useless trying to sleep. Wondering if Brian would be okay with her waking him up, she decided against that. He needed all the rest he could get. She pulled on some jeans and a sweat shirt and slipped down the stairs. No way was she going for a walk or anything – who knew what would be out there in the darkness, waiting for her. No, she'd get something to eat or drink and go back upstairs.

But as she crept closer to the kitchen, she heard voices, and they weren't happy ones. She held her breath. _Hallie and Dan…and Mart?_ Knowing she should go into the kitchen and not eavesdrop, she exhaled her breath and went in. The three of them jerked their heads toward her in surprise, and Hallie scowled at her.

"Well, at least you aren't out there eavesdropping on something you know nothing about," she said, her tone acidic.

Honey gritted her teeth. Why did Hallie persist in being so mean to her? What was the point? Brian had chosen her as his girlfriend, and Hallie might as well get used to it. "I can't sleep," she murmured.

"Understandable," Mart said, nodding. He was leaning back against the fridge, arms folded over his chest. "Are you feeling okay? We can wake Brian up."

"She's fine," Hallie cut in. "Brian needs his rest."

Honey held her breath for a count of ten and exhaled. She didn't have a volatile temper, and it usually took a while to make her upset, but Hallie knew just what buttons to press already. "She's right, he needs sleep," she finally said. "I was just looking for something to eat or drink."

"Help yourself," Mart told her. The other three were quiet then as she looked in the fridge, and took out a bottle of water. She really wanted something bad for her, but it appeared that stuff was long gone already. She closed the fridge door and nodded to them. As she was about to leave the kitchen, Mart called to her, and she turned, wary.

"You can trust us," he said, his voice low. "I know this all looks suspicious, but please know you can trust us. We're on your side."

She hesitated. Two of them were Trixie's blood, and she wanted to believe Dan was honest, too. But this all looked suspicious to her, and she couldn't bring herself to agree with what he said. She merely turned and left the room. And ran right into Brian, who reached out quickly to steady her. "Hey," he whispered. "You doing okay? I went to check on you, and you were gone." There was concern in both his pretty eyes and his deep voice.

"I couldn't sleep," she said, and he eased her to him in a hug, cuddling her in close to his big chest.

"I didn't think about you having nightmares," he said. His voice was a low murmur. "I'm sorry. I should've stayed with you."

"No, it's okay. You needed sleep too," she whispered. But this was so nice, just being held like this. She could stay here for a very long time. Brian gave her a squeeze and gently eased her out from him.

"Get a room," Hallie sniped from behind her, and Honey bit her lip.

Brian's face darkened and he stepped around Honey but kept hold of her hand. He pointed at Hallie as he came into the kitchen. "You need to knock it off," he ordered. "Enough is enough."

"I'm just looking out for you," Hallie said. "You know what the prophecy says. She's bad news, Brian." Hallie's dark eyes glittered like cut glass.

Before he could say anything, if he was going to say anything, there was a bright flash of lightning and all the lights went out. Thunder boomed overhead, making Honey jump and Brian squeezed her hand in reassurance. Another flash filled the kitchen, and she shuddered and moved closer to her boyfriend.

"You think this is Creech?" Mart asked.

"Could be. Hard to tell," Dan said. "We should get the others up."

"No." Brian shook his head. "They all need rest, just like we do. We should—"

The back door blew open. Honey, closest to it, was slammed into by a heavy force that nearly toppled both her and Brian. He turned, putting her on his other side so she was further from the open door. Dan ran toward it, but another gale force hit him, knocking him down.

"Shut the door!" Brian ordered, trying to both shield Honey and help Dan up. Mart rushed the door and almost got it closed, but the force of the wind coming through was too much, and he was knocked backward as well.

Brian turned from Honey and Dan and tried to get to it, but he wasn't strong enough to fight the wind. Jim and Bobby were suddenly there, and finally, together, the three of them managed to get the door closed.

Honey took deep breaths to calm her heart, and Brian immediately walked back over to her and hugged her again. "You all right?" he asked.

"I'm okay," she said, nodding against his chest. "They're more powerful than we are, aren't they?" she whispered, pulling back to look up at him.

He didn't answer right away, and she knew he didn't have to. Creech had assembled a strong group of Conjurers, and it was going to be very hard to beat them. "We just need to stick together," Brian finally said. But she saw the doubt in his dark eyes, and that was troublesome.

"Everyone okay?" Jim asked.

"We're fine," Dan told him. He looked disgruntled. "But this sucks. They're attacking us at home now? I mean, come on."

"So we go after them at their homes, then," Bobby said. His blue eyes glittered beneath his tousled hair.

Peter and Helen, Trixie and Diana stepped into the room just in time to hear his comment, and Peter shook his head. "No," he said. "We're not stooping to their level."

"So we just let them control the pace of the battles, then?" Jim asked. He frowned. "I think we've been shown that doesn't work."

"What if we fight in the woods?" Trixie asked. "That's where the first battle was, where it all started."

"You mean the cave? Where they had Honey?" Brian asked, and shook his head. "No. That's their territory now."

"It's not a football game, bro," Bobby said. "It's not like home team advantage."

"Yeah, it is," Brian insisted. He looked at Peter. "They know the woods, Dad. Creech has kept people out of there for years." He looked and sounded frustrated, and Honey wished she could do something to help calm him, like he could do with her.

"I think we all need rest, and we'll discuss it in the morning," Helen said.

"No time for that now, Moms," Mart told her. "They're not going to wait it out patiently. We need to form a plan of action and stick to it." He glanced around the kitchen. The lights had flickered back on again, and everyone looked pale and tired.

"Yeah, I'm with Mart," Jim said, nodding. He put an arm around Trixie's shoulders and hugged her close to his side. "The more time off we give them, the harder they seem to hit us. And this, hitting us here at our home, isn't something I want to keep happening." His voice was hard.

Peter sighed and ran a hand over his dark hair. It was greying in the temples, but he didn't look as old as what he was. "Neither do I, Jim. And perhaps Trixie is right – we need to take the fight to the woods, where we wouldn't hurt anyone." He held up a hand when Brian started to speak. "I know son. You aren't comfortable taking Honey back out there. But it probably is the best place to fight. We certainly don't want to do it in town again." He looked at Helen, and she immediately nodded.

"I agree with that."

Brian huffed out an irritated breath, and Honey hugged him around the waist. She knew he didn't want to put her in more danger, but as long as Creech had the upper hand, they were all in danger. "It'll be okay," she murmured to him.

He frowned down at her, but she knew he wasn't upset with her. He was upset with the way the conversation was going. The lights flickered again as another flash of lightning illuminated the kitchen, and she wondered just when her life would go back to normal. Could it go back to normal? Was there a normal after this? What would it look like? Her mind had been opened to the supernatural world now, and she wondered what other kinds of things might be out there.

There was a thunderous noise outside, and the ground shook beneath their feet. Brian braced himself against the wall and hung onto Honey, keeping her safely within his arms. She closed her eyes, reaching out, trying to see what was going on. _Aha._ Creech was in their yard, not more than a few hundred feet away, and Paul Avery was there, too, with the animus. Her blood pressure jumped. The animus wasn't doing anything, but it was coiled like a snake at Paul's feet. And then someone else stepped out of a car in the driveway, and she could feel her blood icing. _Kyle._ And he didn't look happy.

"The animus is out there, along with Creech, Paul, and Kyle," she said. Brian's arms tightened around her.

"What are they doing?" Peter asked.

"Nothing, right now. But they're moving closer to the house." And now she could see a whole lot more people, women included this time. "There are more people now," she said. "About twenty of them."

"He's recruited," Helen said. "We can't possibly beat that many at once."

Honey sucked in a breath as fire assaulted her head. She cried out and heard Brian talking to her, felt his hands on her head. _Kyle. I knew he couldn't leave me alone._ She couldn't give in to his tactics this time. She had to be stronger than he was. But Kyle was one of the most powerful Conjurers, with years of experience honing his gift. Honey's head was screaming, and her vision was swimming with pain.

"Hallie! Di! Shield her!" Peter ordered. "We need her to see the—"

And the back door blew inward, off the hinges, and the animus stepped in. Honey gasped. It was huge, and it was moving straight for Peter and Helen. Brian pushed Honey behind him and moved to attack it. She wanted to tell him no, to stay away from it, but the pain in her mind was searing, cutting and burning through her consciousness, and she couldn't speak. Jim and Mart formed a line in front of Peter and Helen, a line Brian and Bobby joined, with Dan and Hallie and Trixie right behind them.

"Don't let it touch you!" Peter yelled, and the animus surged forward, silent and slimy, a dark assassin.

"We need to get away from it," Helen said, her voice loud with command. "Everyone out the front door!"

"Don't turn your back on it," Peter ordered. "Keep moving backward, eyes on it."

Honey shook her head. _I have to beat this. Kyle can't beat me._ She tried to push back. She called to the lights, but they weren't responding. Was Creech somehow still blocking her? That didn't seem possible.

"Honey, move," Peter ordered. She tried to, but every movement seemed to bring a new level of pain to her. He grabbed her arm and started moving her backward with him and Helen. Diana joined them, terror blazing in her dark violet eyes. The animus jumped forward, and their group fell back faster. The pain in Honey's head abruptly cleared, and she tried to see what was going on outside. They made it into the living room, where the front door opened onto the other side of the porch. Peter pushed her, Helen, and Diana out onto the porch, and followed them quickly. The others surged outside too, and Jim and Brian slammed the door on the animus. It let out a squeal and started oozing under the door.

"Honey!"

She jumped and turned. Kyle was standing in the yard, staring at her. "This can all go away, if you come with me."

"She's not going anywhere with you," Brian said. He came to Honey's side and took hold of her hand. His body hummed with tension.

Kyle smiled, and it seemed like the whole night sky lit up. Somewhere deep in Honey's memories, connections snapped and she felt a tug toward him. It wasn't real, that instant sense of belonging to him, but it was irritating that it was still there. "Come on, sweetheart," he said, holding his hand out to her. "He'll never care about you the way I can."

"He already does care about me, Kyle," she said, shaking her head. "You say that you could care, but I don't think that's possible. You just want me for my gift."

"You know I can turn your mind inside out, Hon," Kyle said. He glanced at Brian. "I could hurt all of them, if you force me to." He smiled again. "I know you're too soft-hearted to allow that to happen."

"It's better for you if she goes with him," Creech said, walking up beside Kyle. He looked directly at Peter. "You know she fits the prophecy, and she'll turn against you, Belden. She won't be able to help herself."

"That's not true," Jim called out. "And she's staying with us."

"Pity." Creech crossed his arms over his chest. "You have nowhere to go, and there's just a pitiful few of you."

"We're not fighting here." Peter went down the stairs to the lawn. The cold wind ruffled his dark hair. "We fight in the woods, where it all started."

"How brave of you." Creech nodded. "The woods, then. And we'll end it." His eyes were hard diamonds. "One hour, Belden."

"One hour." Peter sounded tired all of a sudden, and Honey shivered. One hour until they would have to face down the other Conjurers, and decide the fate of the dark magic, or whatever it was.

They watched Creech and Company leave, Kyle casting looks over his shoulder back at Honey. With each look back, Brian cuddled her closer to himself, and she leaned into his embrace.

"So she's not going to the woods with us, is she?" Hallie asked, nodding toward Honey. "I mean, we all know the prophecy. And I'm not willing to risk everything just because she says she won't turn."

"Hallie has a point," Dan said, backing her up. "She can see the animus, but it hasn't done us a lot of good so far, has it?"

Before anyone else could say anything, Peter held up a hand. "We're not discussing this any longer. Honey is one of us, and she's going to the woods with us to fight." He leveled his dark eyes, so much like Brian's, on her. "Isn't that right?"

There was a challenge in his words, and Honey took a breath. What if she did do something that cost them this war? But Brian believed in her, and so did Jim and Trixie, and that would have to be enough. "I'll do everything I can to help," she said.

Peter nodded. "Get ready to go. It will take us a bit to get back to the original fighting ground. Dress warm."

Everyone scattered, but Brian held Honey back. She looked up at him, and saw the concern shining in his eyes. "You don't have to tell me you're okay, or that you're fine," he said. "I know you're not."

"So what should I say, then?" The words were soft, but there was still an edge in her voice. She was tired of Hallie and Dan, and she was weary of this whole situation. "I just want it to be over."

"I know. We all do," he assured her. "I'll do my best to keep Kyle from hurting you," he added. "And forget Hallie and Dan. They're stubborn."

It wasn't exactly defending them, but it wasn't calling them what they were, either. They were bullying her, something she'd never ever really had to deal with. And it was unpleasant. "She's never going to accept me into your family," she said.

"She doesn't have to. Everyone else does," he said.

Frustrated with everything, and feeling useless, she turned away from him. "Honey, stop." He tugged on her hand. "I'm not defending her. I know it sounds like I am, but I'm not trying to. She and I have always been close, and she's mostly worried about the prophecy. It really has nothing to do with you."

That didn't help. But she didn't say that to him, because he was being honest and he cared about her. "I know," she said, sighing. "And I'm going to try my best out there today. I want our side to win. But what if something goes wrong, and I feel like I'm turning to them?" She would become exactly what Hallie and Dan had said she would.

"You won't. I know you won't." His tone was adamant, and she wanted, so badly, to trust him, but her faith in herself was flagging. He tipped her chin up so he could see her eyes. "Everything will be all right. We're going to win, sweetheart." And then he kissed her, and it was warm and wonderful, and she wanted to fall into him and never ever think about the Conjurers again. But he stepped back first, and took her hand. "Come on. We have to get ready."

"Are you nervous?"

"Hell yes." He glanced at her as they went into the house. "But I know we're strong, and even though they've got the numbers, they don't realize who they're going up against."

He left her in her room so she could dress, and then she made her way downstairs. Trixie motioned to her and the two of them stepped into the office. Shutting the door, Trix turned to her. "Listen. I'm not sure we can trust Hallie and Dan," she whispered.

Honey wasn't sure what to say. That she hadn't ever trusted them? That they were obviously keeping something from all of them? "Why not?" she finally asked.

"I caught them talking." She shrugged when Honey gave her a look. "Eavesdropping is a talent, thank you very much. They were talking about Creech and his group. I think they might be defecting."

Did she tell Trix she'd caught Mart talking with them earlier? "Well, I heard Mart talking to them when I first came downstairs, before Creech showed up," she admitted. "I don't know what about, but they all seemed wary of me."

Trixie tapped her finger against her lips. "Dan has been keeping something secret from all of us for a long time. I think Hallie knows, not that she'd ever tell any of us. And he and Mart are close, so Mart might know now, too." She sighed. "Just keep an eye on them, if you can. I know that's asking a lot, especially since you've got animus duty too." She turned to open the door. "And by the way, I've never seen Brian so happy. I mean, yeah, we've got this whole Conjurer's war thing going on, but really, he's happy. I knew you'd be good for him."

"I like him, too," Honey said. "Be careful out there, Trixie. Stay safe."

"I will. You, too. Stay by Brian, if you can." Her blue eyes sparked with determination. "Let's go." She opened the door and they went out. Everyone was ready, and quiet. Honey made her way to Brian's side, where she felt the most comfortable. He immediately took hold of her hand and raised it to his mouth, pressing a kiss into her palm. A shiver shot through her.

Peter stepped into their midst, and they all circled him. "We all have a job to do, and the only thing I can ask of you is to do that job. We need to end it today." He met each one of their gazes, his own somber and dark. "Remember, we are a family. No matter what happens out there, we have each other. Watch each other's backs." He paused. "Let's end it."

They all nodded, knowing there was nothing else any of them could say. Honey stayed with Brian, Jim and Trixie as they headed out. Brian held her hand, his own tight and warm and big around her smaller, colder one, and he kept squeezing it, kept glancing down at her, those brown eyes of his deep with concern and protection and something that maybe neither of them were ready to talk about. Not yet. And as they entered the woods, and the weight of the situation fell upon her, she could only hold his hand tighter and steel herself for the mission ahead.


	17. Chapter 17

_I don't own Trixie Belden and Co._

Thank you for the continuing support. I don't think there are too many more chapters in this story; it will roll into the next one. You do get Dan's secret here, though, and the secret some of the Belden family has been keeping, too. Hope you enjoy! This chapter is considerably shorter - I felt it necessary to stop it where it does.

 **SINISTER**

 **CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: **

It was quiet in the woods. They'd been walking for nearly fifteen minutes, and Honey wondered just how farther it was. Everyone was silent, keeping whatever thoughts they had about the upcoming fight to themselves. Brian was calm; she could feel it flowing from him to her, but her heart still raced in anticipation. Or fear. _I'm guessing fear. What if I screw this up? What if something bad happens and I turn on the Beldens?_ Hallie kept shooting furtive little glares her way, and Honey did her best to ignore them. She really, really disliked that woman.

And then they were there, in a clearing. Edward Creech and company, about twenty people strong, and the animus. It reared up, a thick black column of disgusting ooze, and bile rose up in Honey's throat. Brian immediately took a half-step in front of her. They all stopped and stood facing Creech's men from across the clearing. It wasn't a huge space, but it was probably enough to really get the fighting going.

"So nice of you to finally show up, Peter," Creech said. "We fight until this is decided."

Peter nodded. "How do we determine that?"

Creech smiled. It creeped Honey out. "Last one standing, no matter how long it takes."

"All right." Peter glanced around at his group. "No holding back," he said, his voice quieter so Creech's group wouldn't hear him. "If someone falls, keep fighting. The world as we know it is at stake here."

Honey's heartbeats thundered in her ears. She had her eyes glued to the animus, and reached out to her lights. Would they come to her? Brian squeezed her hand, and she glanced up at him. He was focused on the group across the clearing, his jaw tight, his breathing deep and full. She took a deep breath herself. Every muscle was clenched, every nerve singing with anxiety.

And then lightning filled the clearing, and they charged.

The lights raced to Honey, dancing around her, their golden glow overshadowed by red and black, and she sent them bobbing and weaving toward Paul. If she could keep the man who controlled the animus busy, he shouldn't have time to hurt anyone. As they attacked Paul, and the animus shrank down into a puddle, an overwhelming sense of fear shot through her. _No. Keep fighting. It's just their empath trying to cow you._ She thought about Brian, and the others, and winning the fight, and the surge of fear rolled back like a wave from the shore.

"You know you can't win." Kyle was walking up to her, close, so close, and she took a step back, keeping her eyes on Paul. Her lights were bouncing off of him, and he was moving backward, away from the fight. "Madeleine Grace Wheeler. This isn't your fight," Kyle said, his voice silky stone. "Let's leave, just you and me. You know I'm better for you than that doctor is."

"Leave me alone." She spoke in a cold voice, and kept her eyes on the animus. Around them, the fighting raged. She could see Jim and Dan out of the corner of her left eye, going to work on three of Creech's men. Brian was somewhere; she didn't worry about him, because she knew he could hold his own. Thunder rumbled overhead and snow started falling, and she was glad for the warm sweatshirt and winter jacket and boots she wore.

"Don't be like that." Kyle moved close to her and reached out to touch her. "You know I can put them all down, sweetheart. Don't make me hurt them permanently, because I will, if you don't come with me."

His words chilled through her winter gear into her heart, but she knew she couldn't give in. Her group was strong and smart, and Hallie and Diana should be able to guard against Kyle's psychic attack. She looked him in the eye, just for a split second. "Go ahead, then," she taunted him. Her gaze immediately fell on the animus and Paul again. So far, so good. Her lights were driving them both away.

Kyle laughed and suddenly her mind split in two and she fell, gasping, to the snow-covered ground. Vaguely, somewhere far away, she thought she heard Brian yelling. _This is Kyle. He's purposely keeping you out of the fight. Come on, Wheeler. You're tough. You can do this!_ So she pushed herself upright, dusted off her knees, and forced herself to raise her head to look up at Kyle. He was watching her, smiling, smug. What had she ever seen in him?

And Brian was suddenly there, along with Bobby. Bobby hit Kyle from behind and drove him down into the snow, while Brian hauled Honey to her feet. He touched her face, and instant hot sunshine filled her body and she could force the blinding pain from her mind.

"Just breathe," Brian coached. "I've got you." He held her tightly with one arm, but his focus was back on the fighting surrounding them. "You okay now?"

"I'm good. Go," she said, and he moved away, not far, but his gaze was already seeking out the enemy empath.

"Nice hit," Honey told Bobby, who jogged over to her. He flashed a grin.

"Still got the football moves," he said, and then turned his attention back on the men fighting closest to them. There were women in Creech's group too, and they stayed huddled close together, even as they made their way toward the Belden group.

Honey saw Paul Avery closing in with the animus, and gritted her teeth. _Focus._ Her lights were still here, just bobbing around like beach balls on the waves, and she used them to hit Paul again and again, breaking his own concentration. The animus was slithering toward Peter and Creech, who seemed to be talking rather than fighting, and unease twitched through her. Nevertheless, she kept after Paul, and when the animus suddenly started to grow, she directed the lights toward it instead. They attacked with gusto, bouncing off the sticky blob until it began to shrink again.

"Keep it up, Hon," Jim called as he fought one of the Creech's younger guys.

"This isn't your fight," Kyle said. He'd gotten up and now stood next to her, not touching, but she could feel his presence. "The Beldens don't care about you. They're just using you."

"Shut up," she ground out between her teeth. "Just shut up."

"I'm getting to you, aren't I, love?" He did touch her then, just her shoulder, and a shock wave rolled through her. She gasped and the lights turned toward her. "Now, now, don't get angry," he said. "You wouldn't want to turn those little devils on me."

The thought hadn't occurred to her before. She couldn't do that now, anyway – she needed to keep the animus small and harmless.

"You don't know my brother's secret, do you?" Kyle whispered to her. "I do. And he's going to unleash it in just a few short moments. His power is arcing – I can feel it. And you won't be able to defeat him."

 _Defeat him? Dan's on our side!_ She glanced toward Dan and Hallie. Hallie was waving her slender hands in the air, in some sort of mystical-looking movements, and Honey saw three of Creech's men fall down. _That's pretty cool._ She had to give props where they were due.

"Just stop this madness, sweetheart. Come away with me, before you get hurt." Kyle stepped around in front of her. "You know you feel a pull toward me. You always have."

She took a step back from him, but kept her eyes on the animus. "No. I will never be with you again, Kyle."

His smile drained from his too-handsome face. "Then we do this the hard way." He turned away from her, and she hoped he'd tired of her and was going somewhere else. That would make her day.

"Dan!"

Trixie's startled cry turned Honey's head in their direction, and her mouth fell open. There was a reddish aura around Dan. The reddish tint trailed off his fingertips, and he turned to face Honey. She took an involuntary step back as he started moving toward her.

"I told you, we'd have to do it the hard way," Kyle said from somewhere behind her, and her heart rate quickened. "Dan has been secretly learning all the hardest of the dark arts, love. He is essentially now a dark art himself. And he's going to destroy you now."

"Honey!" Brian came racing toward her, and put himself in front of her. "Stay behind me, no matter what happens," he told her over his shoulder.

"You can't protect her," Dan said. Ethereal red flames flowed around his body. "She will destroy us, Brian. You have to let me defeat her first."

"No." Brian shook his head. "I don't believe that, and neither should you, Dan. She's done nothing but help us."

"She's a menace," Dan said. He moved closer, and Honey swallowed the rise of terror in her throat. "She needs to be defeated, and then this will all go away." Dan stopped. "You don't realize this was all a set-up, do you, Brian? That your father and Creech wanted this to happen, because they wanted her out of the way? She's the biggest threat to our world."

Brian slowly straightened. "Dad? What's he talking about?"

Peter walked over to stand next to Dan, and breathed out a deep sigh. "He's right, son. Madeleine Grace Wheeler holds more dark inside her than all of us put together. We've been working with Dan for years now, readying him to stop Madeleine when the time was right. It's for the best, son. I'm sorry you got caught up in the middle of this. I didn't know you'd fall so hard for her." Peter's voice was calm, but there was a rage in his deep brown eyes.

"But I didn't even know who I was," Honey said, moving to Brian's side. She cast a bewildered glance around at everyone. "Did the rest of you know that's what was happening? That this was the plan? Jim?"

Jim shook his head. "No. Peter never told any of us that. If he had, I'd have kept you as far away from Sleepyside as I could." He glared at Peter. "This isn't fair. You know nothing about her, except what was written in some stupid old book a hundred years or so ago."

"Jim's right, Dad." Trixie stood next to Jim, a defiant look on her pretty face. "We won't let you do this to her."

"You have no choice, sweetheart," Peter said. "The sooner she's destroyed the better."

"So Creech was never a threat? The animus?" Bobby asked, shocked. "Mart, did you know about this?"

For his part, Mart at least looked guilty. "Yeah. Dad brought Hallie and I in a year or so ago. We helped Dan train." He looked at Brian. "I'm sorry, bro. Like Dad said, we didn't know you'd fall for Madeleine."

Brian reached out and took Honey's hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "I won't let you hurt her, Dad. You have to go through me."

"And us." Jim and Trixie moved to stand on Honey's other side. "This is ridiculous, Peter," Jim said, shaking his head.

"It's for the best," Helen said. She had a sorrowful look on her face. "If you were anyone else, Madeleine, we would welcome you into our family with open arms. But your family must be put to rest."

Honey gasped. "You were behind my mother's death?"

Peter and Helen exchanged a look. "Indirectly, yes. The Wheeler family must be put down," Peter said.

"Enough talking," Creech said. "Get on with it. It's freezing out here."

"Wait." Honey shook her head. "So the animus attacking Helen, that was all part of your plan, too? It was killing her!"

"We wanted it to look good," Helen said. There was a sad frown on her pretty face. "And I have my own powers, too, dear. The animus couldn't really hurt me."

"So that's why you were so upset with her going after Paul," Brian said, shaking his head. "Because he's essentially one of you, and you knew Moms would be okay." He directed this to Peter, who gave a sharp nod. "I'm not going to let you hurt Honey." Brian's voice was steel.

"You have no choice. You are outnumbered and outgunned," Kyle said. He turned to Honey. "Sweetheart, please. Come away with me. I can keep you safe."

"No, you can't," Dan said. "She will never be safe, because I'm going to take care of her right now." He turned his burning red eyes on Honey. "It will hurt, but not for very long." He held up a hand up.

"Stop!" Trixie cried out. "This is insane. Dad, Moms, what the hell have you come to, that you're willing to sacrifice her? And Mart, and Hallie? Throwing in with all of this? Why?"

"Because otherwise she will bring great destruction," Peter said, sighing. "This is for the best. We sacrifice one to save everyone else."

"No." Brian moved in front of Honey. "Go ahead. Try to get through me." There was a growl in his deep voice.

"Enough!" Creech bellowed. "Honestly, Belden, I thought this would be over by now." He motioned to Paul, who grinned and waved a hand in the air. The animus rose up, ten feet tall, black and slick and menacing, and began sliding its way toward Honey.

"Not going to happen." Jim put himself between her and the creature.

Honey's chest was heaving with forced breaths and terror. She was trapped. She knew if she tried to run, Dan and the animus would overtake her. She knew that as surely as she knew there was snow on the ground at her feet. So what else was there to do? Brian, Jim, and Trixie would try to protect her for as long as they could, but it wasn't fair to ask that of them. This was their family, and she was an outsider. She took a deep breath, and called her lights to her. Directing them, she used them to gently but firmly push the three of them away from her, leaving her to face Dan and the animus, which was just a few feet away.

"Honey! What are you doing?" Brian asked, panic in his voice. "Don't do this!"

"This isn't your fight," she said, fighting to keep her voice calm. "If I'm really so terrible that I'm going to someday destroy the world, then it's best if Dan take care of me now." She focused on Dan. "Go ahead. But please be quick." Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure it was going to break out of her chest, and she closed her eyes. She could feel her lights dancing and circling around her, could feel their impossible heat. Holding her breath, she waited.

And waited. And finally had to breathe. She opened her eyes. Everyone was just staring at her, and confusion swept through her. "What? What's going on?"

"You would really give your life up, just like that?" Dan asked, and there was curious wonder in his voice. "You don't even know us."

She inhaled and exhaled quietly, trying to calm her racing heart. "I don't want anything bad to happen because of me. And if all of you are so sure that's what would happen, then yes. I'm sure." She put as much bravado in her words as she could.

"Perhaps there is another way," Peter said, his voice quiet. "Maybe we can purge you of the evil before it consumes you."

"Are you mad, Belden? You have her right here! Just do it already!" Creech said, his face blotted with angry splotches. "Dan! Do it!"

But Dan slowly shook his head, and the red aura around him dissipated. "No. I think Peter is right, we should try to find another way, if she's willing."

Brian moved back to Honey's side, and she turned to face him. He cupped her face in his big hands and said, "Whatever we have to do to help you, we will."

"This is an outrage! We had a deal!" Creech screamed. "Paul! Put her down!"

The animus reared up and struck out, long slimy tendrils reaching toward Jim, who stood between Honey and the creature. Jim lunged backward, away from it, and Brian turned Honey so she was behind him.

 _Okay, friends, enough is really enough._ Honey focused her lights on Paul, and they raced to him, hitting him relentlessly, driving him backward. The animus swayed and lunged at Jim, who kept out of its path. _Come on, you can do this._ Paul let out a cry as the lights surged all over him, pushing him down, holding him in the snow.

"Honey." Brian's voice was soft. "It's okay. He's beat."

She swallowed back that surge of anger that had taken over her, and called the lights off. The animus was a puddle on the ground again. Everyone was silent, even Creech, who looked ready to explode. Her mind was raging with everything she'd just learned, that the Beldens had planned to kill her, that Kyle's own brother was going to be their instrument of destruction. Black rolled through her mind, masking her eyes, and she swayed. A strong hand grasped her waist and she could hear Brian's calm, steady voice, but it was too late, and she succumbed to the black.

She wasn't sure how long she was out; when she awoke, she was in the sunflower room, and Brian, Jim and Trixie were talking quietly out in the hall. The door was cracked open; she could hear the worry in their voices. She hated it. Hated that she was the cause of their worry. Hated that she was supposedly destined to destroy the world, and the dark arts.

"Hey, sweetheart." Brian stepped into the room and hurried to the bed. He sat down and reached around her, gently easing her up against his big chest. "I'm so sorry, I really am. I had no idea what our parents were planning, that that was Dan's big secret. I never would've let you leave the house to go out there."

"It's not your fault," she whispered. It was so nice, being held so close, and she snuggled against him, his arms wrapping tighter around her. "What happens now?"

"I don't know. Dad said there has to be some way to overcome what's supposed to happen, but I don't know if he knows what to do." Brian eased back and looked at her. "But whatever it is, I promise to protect you. No one is going to hurt you." His voice was fierce and edgy, and a small thrill danced through her. "Are you hurt? Did you get hurt out there?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I can't believe your parents were working with Creech." It hurt that they hadn't trusted her, that they'd let her get close to their family and had used that against her.

"I know." The words slipped out as a growl. "But no more. Dad said they'll do whatever they can to find a way to get rid of the darkness."

"I don't feel like there's any darkness in me," she said, her voice small.

"I know, sweetheart." He hugged her to him again, fiercely. "We'll figure this out, together. I promise."

"Hey." Jim stepped into the room, but Brian didn't let go of her. He eased up a little so she could see Jim, but he kept her within the circle of his arms. "Hallie said there might be something at the library, in the _special collections_ , about how to help Honey." His gaze fell fondly on her, and she managed a small smile.

"Hallie wants to help?" she said, disbelief in her expression.

"Yeah, hard to believe, but I think the fact you were so damn willing to give yourself up for all of us changed her attitude, at least a little," Jim said. "And by the way," he paused, and she saw a flash of something deeply emotional in his green eyes, "thank you. I never would've asked you to do that, even if we had any proof at all that you were going to hurt us."

"I know," she said, struggling with a sudden rush of tears. "But I don't want any of you to get hurt."

"We won't," Brian told her. "We're going to figure this out, anyway we can." He let go of her. "Are you hungry? And even if you're not, you should eat something." He got up and offered her his hand.

She really wasn't, but she knew he wouldn't leave it alone, so she took his hand and let him tug her up off the bed. Jim moved forward and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight, and she sighed, contented. No matter what happened next, she had both Brian and Jim in her corner, and Trixie too, and she knew that they could beat whatever darkness was lying in wait inside her.


	18. Chapter 18

_I don't own Trixie Belden and Co.  
_

 _This is the last chapter of the story, but don't despair - there will be more. I have an author's note at the end of the chapter._

 **SINISTER**

 **CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:**

The kitchen was quiet when the three of them walked in. Trixie was nursing some very strong-looking coffee, and she hurried over to hug Honey. "I'm so glad you're okay," Trix murmured, giving her a tight squeeze.

"Thanks, me too," Honey whispered. Brian took her hand and led her over to the table, where he pulled a chair out for her.

"Where is everyone?" Jim asked, hugging his wife to him.

"Bobby went to get food from Wimpys," Trixie said. "Um, not sure where everyone else scattered off to. I think Hallie and Dan might've gone to the library." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is everyone else as angry as I am over what happened out there? I mean, our parents _lied_ to us," she said, directing her words to Brian.

He sat down across the table from Honey and rubbed at his forehead. A stray lock of hair fell across it, and he sighed. "Yeah, I'm angry, Trix. I'm _furious_. But what's done is done, and at least they're willing to help us find a way to help Honey." He smiled at her, and warmth filled Honey's chest. She reached out to take hold of his hands and squeezed them.

"What happened to Creech, and Kyle, and the others?" she asked. She was confused about Kyle's behavior; had he too known about the Beldens' plans? Or had he simply guessed at what they were going to do? And if he cared so much about her, as he kept saying, why hadn't he just carried her away, instead of letting her continue to fight? He'd almost seemed _eager_ for Dan to destroy her. It didn't make a lot of sense.

"Creech ordered his group to leave, but he wasn't happy with how things turned out," Jim said.

"And Kyle?" Honey saw Trixie and Jim look away from her, and she turned her gaze to Brian. "What happened?"

He huffed out a quiet breath. Was silent for another few moments. "Let's just say I made sure he understood he was never, _ever_ , to speak to you, or be anywhere near you, again." He squeezed her hands tight, and her chest almost hurt from the emotions rolling through it, the same emotions she could see roiling within his dark eyes. "I promised I would protect you, sweetheart, and that's exactly what I'm going to do." His voice was low and steely, and she blushed, knowing it had nothing to do with the heat he was sending into her, and everything to do with those words of his.

"Thank you," she whispered, and he leaned over the table and kissed her, and she wished that they were just normal people, and could have a normal life together. But she knew that wasn't the case. They were creatures of the dark arts, and she was supposedly the darkest of them all.

The back door opened and Bobby strolled in, carrying four huge bags with grease staining their bottoms. He flashed a grin at them and set the bags on the counter top. "Eat up," he said, and walked over to the table. "Glad to see you up and okay," he said, and put his arm around Honey's shoulders, giving her a tight hug.

"Thank you, and thank you for protecting me out there," she said, smiling.

"You're welcome." Bobby straightened and turned away. "Dan and Hallie are at the library, and Mart and Di went home. I don't know where Moms and Dad went."

"Around, I'm sure," Brian said. "Hallie really think there might be something in the archives?"

"Best place to start," Trixie said. She opened one of the bags and started pulling out burgers and fries. "Eat up, everyone."

Honey's stomach rolled at the sight of the heavy food, but she forced herself to eat some of a burger and a couple of fries, if for no other reason than to make Brian happy. They were quiet for a several long minutes, everyone just eating and probably contemplating what all had gone down not that long ago. Honey finally pushed her food aside, and jumped when Brian reached out to touch her hand. Her eyes flew to his, and she saw the concern in his. She wanted to tell him she was okay, but knew it would be a lie. It was best not to say anything.

"Should we go to the library?" Bobby asked. "Maybe Hallie found something."

"She'd call if she did, I think," Trixie said.

"I think it's best if we just stay here," Jim said. "Lay low for a while."

"I agree," Brian said. He tapped Honey's hand. "Come on, sweetheart. You need to rest. You're exhausted." He got up and held his hand out to her. She nodded and got up. A headache was starting to hammer away at her temples, and her back hurt. They went into the living room, and sat on the couch, and she put her head on his shoulder, and it all felt so surreal. Had she really been out in a snow-covered meadow, offering to lay down her life, and not only two hours ago? "You feel okay?" Brian asked, giving her hand a squeeze.

"I'm in shock, I think," she said. She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. "It just doesn't feel real. Any of it."

"I know." He dipped his head in a nod. "We'll find out how to help you," he said.

Something cold washed through her stomach. "What if you can't? What if the only way to get rid of it is to—"

"No." He gave an adamant shake of his dark head. "There _is_ another way. We just have to find it."

"Guys?" Trixie stepped into the room. "Hallie just texted Bobby and said she think she and Dan found something." There was a tiny glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

"Okay." Brian got to his feet and moved toward her, and Honey followed, but feeling sick to her stomach. What exactly had they found? A way to cure her? Was there a way to cure her?

Trixie hooked an arm through hers and guided her toward the back door, where they put on their shoes and pulled on coats. Brian walked next to Honey on the way out to his car, and opened the passenger door for him. Again, she tried to imagine if this was a date with her boyfriend, and wasn't able to keep the illusion together. No, they were headed to the library to see if there was a way to get rid of dark magic before it consumed her and turned her into a monster.

"Try not to worry," Brian said as she got in.

But there was no way she could _not_ worry. This was so far beyond anything she'd ever dealt with before, and now, having a moment to think about it, all she could was worry. Brian got in and the others followed in Jim's truck as they made their way back into town. The day was bleak and chilly, with leaves spiraling down to lash about in the wind. They parked at the library and got out, and Honey shivered as they stepped through the doors and into the old building.

Hallie and Dan were waiting for them, and they looked grim. "What's up?" Jim asked, taking lead.

"We did find something, but you're going to have to travel," Dan said, and nudged Hallie's arm.

"Travel?" Brian asked, frowning. He was holding Honey's left hand, and gave it a squeeze. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Hallie said, her beautiful dark eyes on Honey, "there's a book that was written by the heads of the Conjurors way back when they first moved here. There are a couple of references to it in some of the old history books on Sleepyside."

"Wait, we have one of those books at the house," Trixie said. "It talks about the early days, and how to raise an animus."

Hallie nodded. "That is one of the old history books, but not the one written by the head of the Conjurors. At least, not the one referenced in the books we looked at." She took a quietly deep breath. "This book is said to have been kept at the main residence of the head Conjuror, a Mr. Silas Moore. The book calls him, 'the Silent Saint,' and it says he had a place on Cobbett's Island."

"Where Peter Kimball is from?" Trixie asked. "Maybe we should talk to him."

"He's in with Creech. He was one of the ones who kidnapped Honey," Brian said, shaking his head. "I wouldn't trust anything he said."

"He was decent to me, though, when Creech captured me," Honey said. She spoke quietly. "Maybe we could try talking to him."

"No, Brian's right," Jim said. "What else does the book say, Hallie?"

"It says that Moore's personal belongings, including the book, were kept at his house on the island. It also says that all the secret spells and incantations that Moore used are written in it." She shrugged. "I just think that's the best possible place to find information on what Honey is and what she was supposed to do."

"Do you know the name of the place?" Trixie asked. "We could take a trip out to the island and look around."

"The Moorings," Dan said. His voice was low. "I think it'd be best if a group went out there. Rumor has it the island inhabitants are all kinds of weird."

"Weirder than us?" Honey asked, and immediately blushed. "I'm sorry. That wasn't nice."

"True, though," Jim said. "Dan's right. A group should go."

"Is there any way to get inside the Moorings, though?" Trixie asked. "I mean, if no one lives there, what can we do?"

"It's for rent right now," Hallie said. "I guess the guy who's in charge of keeping it up rents it out every so often. Dan checked online, and no one has taken it yet." She breathed out a quiet breath. "If you're serious about this, you should go out there now. I wouldn't put it past Creech to rent it just so we couldn't."

"You think he knows about the book that guy wrote?" Brian asked.

"Definitely. In fact, Uncle Peter probably knows about it," Hallie said.

"All right. Let's get going with this then," Jim said. "We'll rent the place out for a week or so, and see if we can find the book."

"Sounds like a solid plan," Brian said. He gave Honey's hand another squeeze. She squeezed back, but she wasn't too sure about all of this. "Hey." She looked up at him, and he frowned. "What is it?"

The others had moved away to a computer and were quietly talking. "What if this is some kind of, I don't know, some kind of trap?" she asked. "I mean, if Creech and your dad know about the book, and that it's at the Moorings, why would they give us a chance to get to it? Wouldn't they want me to keep being the dark one?" She tried to inject some humor, but just couldn't. She still felt like her world was spiraling way out of control.

His gaze softened and he touched her cheek. "I know this is scary, sweetheart, but we're in this together. No matter what we have to do, we're going to stop the darkness in you. I promise."

Warmth flooded through her, and she stepped closer to him, laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, and she told herself to be content in this moment, no matter what they had to face.

An hour later, the Moorings was booked for them for a week and a half. Trixie reasoned this should be enough time to locate the book and figure out how to ease Honey from her inner evil. It had been decided that Brian, Honey, Jim, Trixie, Dan, and Bobby would go to the Moorings together.

"You sure you don't have to get back for work?" Brian asked Bobby.

"Nah. I've got vacation time," Bobby told him, stretching his arms up over his head. "Besides, this whole fighting the dark side of the Force has been kind of fun." He flashed a disarming smile at Honey. "Don't worry. We'll get you sorted out."

"Thank you," she said, trying to smile back.

"We'll leave tomorrow morning," Jim said. "Get what you need." He looked at Brian and Bobby. "Talk to your parents, see if they have any insight into this. I don't want to go out there totally blind."

"We will," Brian said. "We'll head over to Mart's right after this."

They all parted ways then, and Honey was quiet as they got into Brian's car. She thought of her father. What had he known? If she was the dark one, or evil one, or _whatever_ she was, why hadn't he ever told her? She guessed he'd thought he was protecting her, but that hadn't panned out for him. And all the trouble with her pictures being destroyed, her apartment being wrecked, what had all that been about? Had Kyle had something to do with that, hoping to draw her back to New York City? Her forehead was starting to throb, and she rubbed at it.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this," Brian said, his deep voice soft. He reached over and put his hand over hers. "But I promise – I will do everything in my power to help you."

"I know you will." She trusted him, which was something she hadn't thought she could do with another man, not after Kyle's great betrayal. "I just hope none of you get hurt doing this."

"Even if we do, it will be worth it." His voice was firm. "We all know what we're getting into, Honey. And I'm not leaving Cobbett's Island until this is done, until you're healed from this."

And it _did_ feel like a sort of sickness in her. Creech had warned her that the lights might not be good, but devils instead. What if he was right? He could see them too. Why didn't they listen to him? Why were they drawn to her? And would they follow them to the island?

They drove to Mart and Diana's, where the Beldens were staying. Brian walked her to the door and knocked, and Peter opened the door. His eyes met Honey's for a moment, and she swallowed hard when she didn't see any apology in his. "Hey, Dad. Can we talk to you about something?" Brian asked.

"Sure." Peter stepped back and they walked in. "What's on your mind?"

"Hallie found something. There's a book that Silas Moore wrote, about the Conjurors. It's at the Moorings, on Cobbett's Island. A group of us are going out there to see if we can find any information on how to help Honey," Brian said. They had sat down in the living room, and Honey kept hold of Brian's hand. She needed his warmth right now, because Peter still didn't seem too friendly toward her.

"I see." Peter sighed. "I'm not sure she can escape her destiny, son."

" _She_ is sitting right here," Brian said, anger in his voice. "And you were all for us figuring out a way to save her back there in the woods. What happened? Was that all just for show?"

"I've been talking with Edward. And we know about the book out at the Moorings. But we're not convinced you'll find anything in it to help her." Peter's brown eyes flitted to Honey for a second. "I'm not saying you won't find anything, but be prepared. You might just have to accept your destiny, Madeleine." His voice was softer now.

She nodded. "I just don't want to hurt anyone," she said.

"I understand that." Peter nodded. "And we'll do our best to not let you hurt anyone."

"Which is why we're going to Cobbett's Island," Brian said. "Do you have any idea as to where in the house the book might be?"

"We're not sure. It should be in the house, and not just on the island. You could check in at their library – they might have more to say on the subject." Peter shifted, rested his elbows on his knees. "A word of advice, though, son – the islanders are an interesting lot. They don't particularly care for anyone not born and raised there."

"Dan told us as much," Brian said, nodding. "That's why a group of us are going."

"Who?"

"Honey and I, Trix and Jim, Dan, and Bobby."

Peter nodded. "Numbers are your best bet. You should be safer that way. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. I want to get this done, so we can get on with our lives," Brian said. He gave Honey's hand a squeeze. "And get on with _our_ life."

Peter smiled, but it was a sad one. "Just remember, this might not pan out to anything, son. Just because Silas wrote that book doesn't guarantee he put anything in it that can help."

"I know." Brian got to his feet. "We'd better get going. We need to get some things, and pack."

Honey got to her feet as well, staying close to Brian. He shook hands with his dad, and Peter smiled at Honey. "I hope you find what you need," he said. His voice was warmer now, and she bit her lip, trying not to feel like she was less of a person just because of who she was. They left quickly, and she found herself again in the passenger seat of Brian's car, her mind wandering as he drove them back toward town.

"My dad might be right," Brian finally said. His voice was low. "We might not find anything on the island. But I promise you, sweetheart, we _will_ find something to help, even if we have to travel further."

"Maybe in Salem?" she suggested. "That's where they started, right?"

"It is," he agreed, giving her a warm smile. "We'll get whatever we need for the trip, and go back and I'll drop you off at Trixie's to get packed. She and Jim should be there, and then I'll run home and pack, too."

Honey settled back against the car seat, and hoped that the Moorings would reveal its secrets, and that they could put this behind them.

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the end of this particular story, but not of the story arc. I plan on writing a second story, entitled "Wicked," but since I am also working on writing my second fantasy novel in my series, it might be a little while before you see "Wicked" posted here . Don't despair, though – I love writing about Brian and Honey, and will get the second story written. Thank you to those who were interested enough to read "Sinister" and leave reviews, or even to PM me and ask about it. I appreciate all the feedback, and all of you. Thank you._


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